From the Ashes
by The Temple of Time
Summary: Faced with the challenge of surviving the hell, she was forced into, Ember is back. No longer Sesshoumaru's mate, and forced to deal with a child she did not want or love, a half-breed that threatens the angels along with the rest of the world, Ember has to find it in herself to remember her past love for Sesshoumaru and work together with her daughter to destroy their common enemy
1. Chapter 1

Ash spread her wings and leapt back into the air. She back-flipped in the air and dived after her teacher, an angel of the second line named Twilla. She was the younger sister to the king, Shadow. Twilla leapt into the air herself and aimed an arrow at her young pupil. As the arrow reached Ash's chest she suddenly disappeared in a blast of flame. Hovering fifty feet off the ground Twilla looked around until she felt a blast of heat behind her and she turned around only to get kicked in the stomach by Ash. Twilla landed hard on the ground and Ash landed on top of her with her sword at Twilla's throat. "You've become quite the fighter, Ash." Twilla panted. "I'm proud of you."

Ash straightened up and held out a hand to her teacher to help her up and she beamed. "Do you think I could be a part of the guard soon?"

"You're only fifteen, kiddo, don't be in a hurry to throw your life away."

Ash started chatting away about how she only wanted to be one of the guard. One of those noble angels who selflessly protected the hidden city from outsiders who wanted the angels dead, like the Lord Adamar from the north. Twilla sort of tuned out as she watched her student. She looked so much like her mother. Her hair was fiery red along with her eyes. She was small and short. But she was strong. It was easy to believe that she was Ember's daughter. Once she was believed to be the last angel of the first line. She was the true mate of the Lord Sesshoumaru. Was going to be the mother of his children. Until she lost the child during birth. Between then and now the years have blurred out. Twilla only knew three things.

One, Ember hated Sesshoumaru with as much heat as the fire she can manipulate. Two, somehow, the curse they all thought that forced Ember and her family to continue the line came back. They thought it had broken when Ember's powers returned to her. But almost two hundred years without any other children must have brought the curse back. Thus Ash was born. And third, Twilla knew that Ember wanted nothing to do with her daughter. She didn't even have the heart to name her when she was born. She didn't ask anyone to take care of her or anything. The second she could she simply walked away and disappeared for five years before coming back by order of the queen.

Suddenly Ash stopped, looking up at the wall guarding the city. Only angels could get over the wall which was why it wasn't guarded. Twilla followed her gaze and felt something like a rock fall into her stomach. It was Ember. She looked terrible. Her wings, once glistening and bright red, almost sparkling in the sun most days, were now black as night. Feathers falling out and many of them broken at the shafts. Her eyes were just as black and her skin was sickly green. She looked like she hadn't eaten in days. And yet, despite the injuries she managed to fly down and collapse in the middle of the training area. Twilla and Ash rushed forward and they saw chains on her wrists, ankles and the base of her wings. As Twilla reached her Ember reached out and grabbed her shoulder in a vise like grip. "Next time I decide to go to north, remind me not to take the scenic route."

"What happened."

"Some half-breed named Naraku decided he wanted to use me as bait for something. I guess he forgot that wooden huts don't last long against fire."

"What do you need?" Ash asked.

Ember ignored her. She didn't even look at her. She stood up and started limping towards the palace where the king and queen lived. "I'd love to hear what your brother has to say about this, Twilla." She snapped. "If he starts spewing about what the bloody stars say I'm gonna kill him."

Twilla sighed. "And to think, she used to be such a well spoken little girl."

"She hates me, doesn't she?" Ash whispered.

"You won't really know until you confront her."

They both sighed and followed Ember up to the palace. Ember tried to lift her wings but she had no energy left. She felt like she could barely walk anymore. She got to the top of the stairs and sat down. An angel of the third line ran up to her. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Just go get the queen!" she snapped.

"No need to be cranky." Twilla glowered as the other angel ran inside.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Twilla," Ember said in an overly sarcastic tone. "I'll be sure to remember to be nice to the idiots the next time I've been captured, tortured and starved. 'Are you ok?' Do I bloody look ok? My feathers are falling out as I speak and I can barely walk!"

"The poor boy didn't know that. He doesn't know who you are. You could pass off as a second line angel like that."

"Yeah, you're right, except for the chains, exposed ribs and torn clothes."

Before Twilla could reply the Queen Arailia and King Shadow ran up. Ember blocked everything out and began grooming her wings. She didn't actually need the king or queen. She just went there because she knew the two would distract Twilla from her endless nagging. By the end of the argument Ember's wings were properly groomed. They were still black and sore, and after pulling out the broken shafts they were damn near bare, but they were in a state where she could pull them back into her body without doing any more damage.

She stood up and glanced at her friend Twilla. She was a true warrior. But more than that. She would always make a good mother. Which was why Ember wanted to get out as soon as she possibly could. Twilla was getting ready to yell at her and she didn't want to hear it. She began descending the stairs again praying that no one would take notice. One did. The last person Ember actually wanted to talk to. "Hey, wait!" Ash called.

Ember didn't turn. She didn't say anything. She had no desire to acknowledge the girl behind her. She made all the way back to the training arena before Ash spoke again. "Damn it, would you stop and look at me?"

Ember stopped and turned. The two girls were roughly the same height and they glowered at each other. "What do you want?" Ember hissed.

Ash bit her lip and blushed. "Well... actually I was looking more for an absolution."

"What kind of absolution?"

"Well..." she hesitated. "Why do you hate me?"

Ember smirked. "Hate you?" she whispered darkly. "I don't hate you. I just hate the idea of you. I hate thinking about that day sixteen years ago when I realised I was pregnant. I hated every second I had to deal with you inside of me. Every time you kicked only reminded me of the child I actually wanted and every second it broke my heart all over again. It's not you I hate. If you had a father I'd hate him, but you don't. It would be a lot easier to hate you, I promise you that."

"That doesn't answer my question at all!"

"Get used to it, stupid. Life never answers the most important questions."

"Like what?" Ash snapped. "What questions of yours are left unanswered you bitter, angry unsatisfied bitch!"

"Why me?" Ember snapped back. "That's my question. Why me? I've been asking that question since my eighteenth birthday. If you answer that for me I'll answer your question honestly."

With that she turned back to the wall. She lifted her hand and Ash knew she was reaching for her necklace and in a second she was gone. Ember appeared in a clear wood. This did not bode well for her mood. She knew these woods. She grew up not too far away from here. She was close to Sesshoumaru's home. What used to be her home. She couldn't sense him anywhere close by like she did when she lived with him or when she was in Naraku's clutches. It wouldn't hurt to stop by the graves for a little guidance.

The small village where her father once lived was now abandoned and run down. She supposed two hundred years without a lord and his staff to keep the village prosperous she should have expected as much. Surprisingly the little cemetery was still well kept. Perhaps someone did still live around here just to care for the dead. Her father and grandfather's tombs, though very old and worn away so badly she could barely read it. But she was still able to make out the words. _Here lies Satoru. Husband to Flame. Father to Ember. Loyal Friend_

So these were the remains of her mother's husband. For a short time he was the closest thing she had to a father. Before Adamar and his bitch sister killed him. next to him was her grandfather. Had she known she was going to end up in the castle village she would have brought flowers to lay at their graves. She sighed and said a quick prayer to her father before standing up and heading towards the castle. She doubted any of her old friends would still be there. When Sesshoumaru left he probably told them all to leave. More likely he probably wouldn't have said anything. But after a while servants knew when to give up.

And, as expected, when she stepped into the grounds the grass was overgrown and there were vines crawling up the walls of the once glorious castle. There was no one training in the fields and the barracks where she used to sleep were nothing but the frame that supported the roof and walls. She walked over to it and stepped next to the remains of what used to be her own bed. She remembered she didn't have anything left here. When she moved into Sesshoumaru's apartment's she took everything with her. But still, she spent a great deal of her time there.

She headed towards the cemetery where her mother and grandmother and all her ancestors were buried. Her mother's tomb was still highly polished. She had been held in such high esteem when she was alive. Everyone had loved her. She sat down. "Mom," she whispered. "I don't really know what I'm doing anymore. I don't know how I got here. The whole country is locked in civil war and nothing's the same. This is even worse than when Adamar was courting me. I have a daughter, but I want nothing to do with her. Sesshoumaru and I..." she stopped. She hated thinking about him. "I just wish you were still alive. I wish you were here to guide me through this." She laughed a little, then. "I remember how you used to speak to the Lords when I was a child. It always seemed that you were the demon and they were the human slaves. It doesn't seem fair that you could be taken away by a mere fever." She sighed again and scratched the back of her head. "I hope I can come back here during a happier time to see you. Maybe another two hundred years with change everything again."

With that she stood up and headed into the castle. If the grounds were bad the castle was awful. Dust clouded around her feet after every step. The old portraits couldn't even be seen behind all of the dust. The grand chandelier was covered in cobwebs and the staircase was looked like it had a gray carpet. To her left were the doors leading down to the kitchen. She didn't need to go down there. But ascending the stairs was no better. How many times had she used these stairs when she lived in this great castle? Like the time, just before she knew she was an angel, she broke her ankle and Sesshoumaru helped her get to the infirmary.

Ember passed the infirmary and Inu Taisho's old office without stopping to admire past times. She couldn't bear to think about the last time she was on this floor. She continued up and into Sesshoumaru's old apartments. Her heart started pounding and she gasped for breath. She hadn't been here in two hundred years but the memories were coming back to her clear as day. The old mark on her neck throbbed, but she ignored it. It had been throbbing since she saw Sesshoumaru at Naraku's castle. It was nothing.

She opened the wardrobe and gazed at her old dresses. She was only vaguely aware that she was in rags now. She could remember a better time when Sesshoumaru used to hold her when she was in trouble. He used to comfort her. He was there for her all through the pregnancy. Sometimes he didn't have a choice. She'd dragged him out of a few meetings for nothing more than for him to feel their child kick inside her belly. The older lords patiently allowed her to do this for their wives had done the same. Their sons were not so patient but they weren't willing to stand against a pregnant girl.

Ember reached out at ran the fabric of one of her favourite dresses across her fingers. It was the black dress she wore as much as she could before she started showing. The smart outfit would be the angel robe she still had in there, but she didn't much like the idea of wearing something so loose. The tight fabric against her skin would make her feel normal again. It was still low enough to let her wings out. The infused magic in the dresses had prevented them from becoming damaged by time and it still fit perfectly. Suddenly her knees gave out and she sunk to the floor shivering. Tears streaked down her face.

She was sure of it now, Sesshoumaru was here and getting closer. She couldn't move, though. It was like she was frozen in the memories of this place. she turned slightly so she could see when Sesshoumaru stepped though the door, but he was already there. His eyes were cold. They changed since the last time she saw him. The ocean of gold was gone. Now it was like that ocean was frozen over. She can't imagine her eyes looking any different. Even if they'd returned to their normal colour. Her hair was still black.

She wouldn't have been surprised if he pulled out his blade. He didn't say a word and neither did she. Her rage boiled inside of her like the fire she so easily commanded. As if a strong wind had suddenly blasted through the room her hair blasted straight up and her wings exploded from her back. Her wings went limp land lay across half the room. She hated losing control like that. But on the upside her power and strength had returned to her. Slowly she stood up and lifted her wings. "Just like old times, isn't it?" she said softly. "You watching me blatantly lose control of my powers and doing nothing to stop me."

"Just like old times." He replied. "You not even trying to control your powers so why should I bother trying to keep you from doing it?"

The two stood in complete silence for a few minutes. Ember was trying desperately trying to keep her tears from falling down her face. She didn't need to look so weak in front of him. Since she'd left she knew he looked on her like she was nothing but a child. Compared to him she was. He was a full three hundred years older than her.

Her tears, however, disappeared in seconds as rage filled her. She could feel flames spreading across her wings in her fury. Outside was the unmistakeable form of Ash. "I'll be going now. I have someone to kill."

With that she launched herself out of the window where she plastered her wings to her body and dove for the girl in the wild field. Ash reacted well. She spread her own wings, drew her sword and lifted into the air. Ember landed but quickly launched into the air again after Ash. She could see the look of shock on Ash's face as she rocketed after her. _She's fast,_ Ash thought desperately. _Faster than me! I have to attack... NOW!_

Ash swung her blade at Ember but it seemed to go right through her. It was a second before Ash realised that second was wasted as she was struck from behind. In a flash Ember was in front of her again. Ash tried to recover but Ember had already kicked her so hard she was rocketing back up. _There's nothing I can do!_ Ash screamed in her mind. _I'm going to die right now!_

She sensed Ember behind her before her mother grabbed her by her throat from behind and then dug her hand into Ash's spine. Ember spread her wings and tilted them ever so slightly so they turned slowly to be facing the ground again. She then flattened her wings, squeezed Ash's spine so hard, forcing her to fold her wings as well, and they fell at lightning speed towards the ground. Ash closed her eyes, waiting for the pain. Half a second before they reached the ground Ember released Ash and floated away while Ash slammed into the ground head first.

Ember landed softly ten feet away. She could see Sesshoumaru out of the corner of her eye still in the castle. Her daughter lying motionless in the ground. She wondered how everything had come to this. She used to be a quiet little human. A stain in the western house of the four great youkai lords. Even when she'd somehow jumped up the ranks to be the lady of the western lands she still kept to herself. Being lower class was second nature to her. But over the last two hundred years she'd grown cold, bitter and ruthless. She felt nothing when she released Ash to be smashed into the ground. She didn't need to check her vital signs. She knew that Ash was dead.

Once again Ember was the last angel of the First Line.


	2. Chapter 2

"_Ember! Ember, wake up!"_

_Ember opened one eye and yawned. Sesshoumaru was sitting up and staring down at her. He had a shocked look on his face. Ember had never seen him like this. Even in their own privacy he'd never shown emotion to this extent. She rolled over onto her back and blinked a few times to wake herself up. "What is it?" she yawned. _

"_Ember," he said again. "I can feel it. I can hear it."_

"_What are you talking about?" she groaned and rubbed her eyes. _

"_The child." he whispered and touched her stomach. "I can hear its heart beat, Ember."_

_Suddenly awake Ember sat up and placed her hands over his. She, of course, couldn't hear a thing, but knowing Sesshoumaru could made it so much more real, as if the morning sickness wasn't enough. She looked up at Sesshoumaru but he was still staring at her stomach with wide eyes. It was amazing seeing him like this. He was never like that. He looked up to meet her eyes. He was like a curious and innocent child. He moved forward and kissed her, cradling her face in his hands. Giggling Ember pulled him down so he was lying on top of her. "You know what I'm going to miss the most while I'm pregnant?" she said._

_He raised an eyebrow. "And what is that, little one?"_

_She licked her lips. "Having you touch me." she whispered huskily._

_He chuckled before lowering himself and kissing her roughly. After a moment he kissed down to her ear. "You forget something, my love." He licked her ear and she shivered. "I can still to this,"_

_Ember gasped and arched her back as Sesshoumaru suddenly bit into her neck. He was biting the mating mark; the mark that forced pleasure to course through her body when the one who gave it to her touched it. She clutched to his shoulders and clenched her eyes shut, trying to keep herself from moaning aloud. She arched her back as Sesshoumaru continued to suck and lick the mark and he slipped an arm under her waist. When it became unbearable she cried out in pleasure. She lay there panting under her mate as he released her and licked away the tiny droplets of blood from her neck. "That can't be good for the baby." She panted._

_He touched his forehead to hers and looked calmly into her eyes. "I love you, Ember. Always remember that. And I would never do anything that would hurt our child."_

"_Of course I know." she sighed. "I love you too."He rolled over and pulled her against his chest. "Sleep little one." He whispered. "You need it."Ember closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. This was everything she ever needed. And this was only going to get better as their child continued to grow within her. Her last thought before falling asleep was how happy she was with her life._

Ember opened her eyes. She knew better than to shake her head to clear the images from her mind. It wouldn't work. It did as much help as crying did. Only she couldn't help but cry. She did so silently but even that didn't help. She let them fall. These memories she would never forget. They were burned into her memory like the mark on her neck. She touched it gently. She used to love it. How it identified her as the lady of the western lands and Sesshoumaru's mate. But now it was a scar that forced her to relive the memories every night in her dreams. She sighed and closed her eyes. Thinking of the mark always made her think of the true mate theory. She remembered when she was first told about it. Sesshoumaru had explained it to her. She hadn't believed him. He left to prove it.

Ember was forced to suffer through days of pain and sickness until he returned. It made it her always wonder why she didn't have such an illness when she left him without any intention to return. She felt no pain. She didn't feel sick at all. The mark stopped throbbing some three days after she's left. Maybe even whatever gods there were understood when the true mate theory was a lost cause.

She pulled her knees up to her chin and closed her eyes. The only thing she could do was try to suppress the memories. Normally she would have done this while flying but that was impossible at the moment. When she was hit by the sudden surge of power brought on by the appearance of Sesshoumaru and Ash the power flowing through her was merely reserved power. Sort of like a back of battery. She'd barely made it to her father's village and into his disintegrated home before collapsing. Before completely passing out she'd felt her wings disintegrate again and as her hair fell before her eyes she saw it was black again. There was no doubt her eyes were back to that dull ash colour.

Ash. Ember opened her eyes only slightly to glower at her hands. Who in their right mind would name a child Ash? Surely Twilla was trying to continue the way the line named their children but to name a child Ash... that was like saying she wasn't worth anything. Ember hadn't named the girl. She hadn't stayed around long enough to even hear that it was a girl. She knew it had to be, but that didn't matter. Ember was long gone by the time she was cleaned and ready to be handed off to the mother who wasn't there. So instead she had been handed to the king's sister, Twilla.

Ember growled to herself. She didn't hate the child. She wished she could. But she couldn't. She just wanted nothing to do with her. She'd warned the girl several times that she'd kill her if she ever saw her outside the angel city. Ember felt Ash take her last breath hardly a second before letting her go and letting her smash into the ground. The second her feet touched the ground Ember knew the girl was dead. She could sense no life in her. She was beyond saving, even for the skills of the angels. Ember did not want to do it. She did not like killing and in all two hundred years of her life she'd only done it if forced to, and had only been forced to do it a handful of times, but never liked it.

But now there was someone she truly wanted dead. Naraku. That half-breed that came out of nowhere and caught her off guard in order to catch her. He'd held her for a mere three weeks, but still it drained her of all her power. Even so, she'd only escaped because of two children younger than Ash. One boy, dressed as a taijiya and a simple human girl. They'd freed her and in returned she saved their lives from Naraku's hoard of youkai. Naraku must have wanted something from her. He hadn't dared go near her in person. He always sent his puppets and they always turned to ash before her, even while she was chained to the wall with absolutely no power left. He was waiting for her to be completely drained before he approached her with his true intentions. But what could they be?

Ember's eyes snapped open. "Show yourself!" she snapped.

She'd felt a presence. Something just outside the door. She watched it for a second as nothing happened and then... a small face poked through the door. It was a yellow headed boy no older than ten. His eyes were wide and curious. But what struck Ember was the odd colour of them. They were a mossy green. Green alone was an odd colour of eyes to have for someone in Japan, but to get the exact colour of moss was even weirder. She'd only ever seen those eyes in an angel of the fourteenth line. Could he be..?

She smiled. "I'm sorry, child. Please, come in."

The boy stepped in slowly. He looked like a beggar boy. His clothes were torn and there were bruises on his face and arms. But he had that subtle radiance that only angels could see and only angels could have. But there was something more human about this boy than the others of the fourteenth line. That was one thing about the fourteenth line that Ember had learned about. They had more distinctive auras than any other line. Possibly because they were the healing angels, but Ember wasn't quite sure. Those of the fourteenth line were no stronger than the ones of the fifteenth, that was all Ember really was sure of. "What's your name, boy?"

"Karu." He said hoarsely.

Ember felt a pang in her heart. Their names were close. She shook her head this time. Karu was his name. She smiled. "Why are you in this village? There's no one else here."

"They say this village is the entrance to the City of Angels."

Ember blinked. "And why are you looking for the city of angels?"

Karu's eyes widened. She could tell his eyes had finally adjusted to the dark. And within the shadows were even darker objects that were her wings. "You're and angel!" he exclaimed. "It's true! This _is_ the entrance to the great City!"

Ember chuckled. "Karu, there is no gateway to the city. Not one so easily found within this world, anyway."

"What does that mean?" Karu asked.

"Well," Ember smiled and patted the ground beside her. "Come, you look half starved. Sit, eat and we'll talk."

Karu's face brightened and darted forward. He sat down and held out his hands expectantly. Ember reached up to touch her necklace. A quick flash of light and food appeared on a blanket in front of them. Karu gasped and immediately grabbed a loaf of bread. It was like he'd never seen so much food in his life. "So tell me about the gate!" he said through a chunk of bread in his mouth. "Where is it if it isn't here?"

Ember laughed. "In a way each angel carries the gate. Every one of them is given a way to get to and from the city. It's past down from generation to generation. For my family, it's this necklace." She touched it gently. "It was my mothers, and her mother's before hers and so on."

"So how does your mom get to the city after she'd passed on the necklace?"

She shrugged. "I wasn't raised in the city. My family never went there. I've been first one to go there in my family in generations. My mom died when I was little, so she never needed to go there."

Karu's hand stopped halfway to the pile of food. His eyes shadowed over. Ember saw a shadow of a tear and his voice turned darker. "Do parents all pass them to their kids?"

"Well..." Ember hesitated. "They're supposed to. But if they don't one of the forgers from the city are supposed to track them down and give the child a new one. The angels have a way of keeping track of angel children."

Karu didn't take the food. He pulled his hand back to his lap and stared down at it "Then why haven't they come to me?" he asked so softly that Ember could barely hear him.

She frowned. "So you are an angel. Fourteenth line, I believe."

"Not really," he shifted uncomfortably. "My mom was of the fourteenth line. My father is a human soldier from a nearby village. I'm merely half angel."

Ember shook her head. "Nevertheless, Karu, half angel or not you are still of the fourteenth line. They should know about you."

"You can take me there, right?" he asked, looking up hopefully.

She shook her head. "The point of personal gates is that they respond to an angel's power. I am completely drained of power. I can't travel to the city. I'm surprised I'm even awake right now."

He brightened up again. "I can take you to my village! My father has always said that if I come across another angel I should always invite them to our home. You can get your energy back there!"

She smiled. "Alright, kiddo. But it'll be slow. I don't know how fast I can move right now."

"That's fine. Even a snail can make it to my village in less than a day." Ember struggled to her feet. Karu wrapped up the food in the blanket and wrapped it around his waist. "I've got the food. Follow me!"

Ember followed the boy out of the destroyed house. He was the idea of youth. Full of life. Even half starved the child was happy and excited. He kept talking away about his father and such. It was clear he loved his village and everyone in it. But Karu never mentioned his mother. It was hard to say if he hated her or if he simply missed her. A few hours after traveling Karu stopped jabbering and looked up at her. "You might want to put those away, by the way." He said.

Ember raised an eyebrow. "Put what away?"

"Your wings. The bandits don't like angels."

"What bandits?"

"About five years ago a group of bandits moved into the village. They're a superstitious lot. They don't like angels. They tore down the statue of the last warrior angel and... They killed my mother."

Ember bit her lip. She didn't want to think about how weak she was at the moment. She was probably no stronger than any of the fourteenth or fifteenth lines at the moment. "I can't Karu. Not until my wings are healed. Otherwise I'll only make it worse."

"Then we'll have to go through the back way of the village. When your strength has returned then you can just slip out of the house without giving you a second glance. Except maybe that dress of yours. Everyone will know you're a noble with that."

"We'll worry about that later, Karu. Let's get to your house before it gets too dark out again."

Karu nodded and let her through the trees. Ember could feel the presence of a town not too far away. And after a while Karu turned abruptly and pulled some branches away to reveal a door. He pulled open the door and led Karu in. "Father," he called. "Father, look who I found!"

An older man came into the room through another door and blinked. Ember could see the resemblance between the two immediately. They were truly father and son. The father blinked. "Karu, I've been looking for you. We need fire wood. Please go get some while I make our guest comfortable."

Karu beamed and nodded. Ember stepped aside as the boy ran out again. She looked up at his father. He narrowed his eyes. "You are an angel." He said. It wasn't a question. "But not any angel. You're the Lady Ember of the western lands."

"Yes," she said calmly. "How did you know?"

"First of all, your mark." He nodded at her neck and subconsciously she touched it. "Secondly, you bare an uncanny resemblance to the last warrior angel. The angel who was the last stand against the cats and who's daughter disguised herself as a human servant in the western house. She is your ancestor, the angel Spark."

Ember smiled at her feet. "In the city they call her the first spark to the last flame. There were more prophesies made after her death than any other angel. All of them foreseeing the end of the first line."

"And these prophesies are speaking about you?"

Ember shrugged. "I would think. My only heir is dead and I cannot be touched by any man. There is no way to continue the line. The angels of fire will die with me at my time of death."

"That is unfortunate. The first line has protected this village for centuries. We will need to find a new deity."

"From what Karu said your village has been taken over by bandits for the last five years. The line hasn't been here to save you."

"You are here now." Said the man. "And I know you don't believe that you will, but I know you will be the one to chase off these bastards."

Ember glowered at him. She was in no position to argue at the moment. The man had allowed her to stay, which in itself was not to be expected. She was weak and could not defend herself, let alone an entire village. She had none of her normal weapons, they had been taken away by Naraku. All she had was her power, assuming she could get a good night's sleep first. She sighed and rolled her shoulders. "I will see what I can do about the bandits when my strength has returned to me. But until then I'm useless to everyone."

"Then come, I have a guest bedroom."

Ember followed him into a room that was no bigger than a closet. But it had a bed and Ember fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow. Kenji, Karu's father, looked upon the angel. She looked no older than seventeen, but he knew she must have been at least two hundred years old. He never imagined that he would live to see the day that an angel returned to this village. Even if she was weak from... whatever happened to her. It was a good thing Karu found her. Who knows who else could have found her? And who knows if they were friend or foe to the angels. Karu came running back with the wood and Kenji quickly quieted him down. They had to let this girl get her rest if their village had any chance of living through the hell caused by those bandits. Their last hope relied on this girl.

When Ember woke up a full day had passed. She felt her power returned to her. She sat up slowly. She could feel the life flowing through her wings again. Her hair was fiery red again. She stood up and opened the door. Karu's father was sitting in the main room drinking tea. "I see you're awake." He said. "And fully recovered as well."

"Yes. Thank you. As thanks it's the least that I can do to take care of those bandits."

He smiled. "Thank you. This will be a great moral boost for my village."

"First," Ember cut across him and sat down. "I want to know about Karu's mother. Who was she?"

"She was a doctor for the western army during my time at war. Everyone, thought she was just a human, particularly good at healing. Simply we fell in love while at war and I married her when we returned. We discovered she was an angel of the fourteenth line when she got pregnant. She said that she hid her identity to protect the people she loved. But then she was ready to reveal herself to her village, if only so her child wouldn't have to live in hiding. And when Karu was born everyone rejoiced at the birth of a new angel."

"What of his mother's gate? Some kind of family heirloom that her parents past down to her."

"She never had such a thing. She told Karu about the city and told him about the village he found you in. But obviously she was hiding something from him."

"I don't know why she didn't pass on the heirloom, but it could have been to protect him from the bandits. She might have felt like they were going to kill him if she left any trace of herself on him."

"Well, needless to say, ever since his mother's death Karu hasn't released his wings or used any of his healing abilities. He's been so lost. All he ever talks about is the gateway to the angel city."

Ember opened her mouth to reply but she was cut off by a yell from outside. She and Kenji ran out, Ember forgetting about her wings, to see a crowd out in the streets. A man at the center of the town, a scarred, ugly man, was holding Karu by the throat. "What did I say about touching me, you little brat!" he snarled.

He squeezed harder and Karu cried out desperately. Ember's fury sparked up once again. "Put him down!" she snapped, loudly.

Everyone looked around at her. Everyone looked shocked. She walked forward through the crowd. The bandit had looked shocked for only a second before smirking and throwing Karu to one of his henchmen. "Well would you look at that," He sneered. "An angel. Should I show this little girl what we think of angels in this village, boys?"

The others were laughing. Ember hardly noticed. She continued to walk straight forward up to the man. He raised a hand holding a sword and swung it down at Ember. Calmly she reached out and stopped his arm with hardly any effort at all. "I'm going to give you one chance," she said darkly. "To leave this village and never return. If you do all hell will rain down upon you from the first line. Do you understand?"

He smirked. "Don't underestimate me!"

His foot lashed out but he was too late. She dodged his attack by taking one step sideways. With her other hand she took hold of his shirt right in front of his heart. From her fingertips a dull green fire sparked up and burned away at his shirt. "What are you doing you..."

The man stopped talking. He couldn't keep talking. The fire had reached his skin. It didn't char his skin. It didn't make a mark. Ember was the only one who could feel that his heart was shot. He was already dead. The only thing holding him up was Ember. She dropped him and glared over at the others. "Let him go and run, and I might consider letting you all live."

The men dropped Karu and took several steps back. Ember looked down at the boy. "Let them see what you are, Karu. Let them know that this village is truly protected by angels."

Karu ran to Ember's side and let his wings loose. Moss green feathers, like his eyes. The bandits turned on their heels and ran and the village began to cheer. Ember looked down at the child by her side. There was something in him. Something she knew better than anyone. She looked over at Koru's father. "I would like to take Karu on as my student." She said. "He has an inner strength that most of the fourteenth line does not have. It will do him good to have a teacher."

Kenji only nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. Ember looked down at Karu. For a moment his blonde hair turned white and his eyes were red. The very image of the son she had lost. She closed her eyes. He was not her son. He never would be. _Stop kidding yourself, girl._ She thought. _He's just an angel. An angel who needs your guidance. Nothing more._


	3. Chapter 3

_Ember sighed and looked down. The early morning light made it even clearer that she was indeed growing bigger. But even so it was so slight she didn't understand how her dresses weren't fitting. She groaned. "What is wrong, my little one?" Sesshoumaru asked and came up from behind her._

_She looked up at her mate. "I guess it just makes it even more real." She smiled. "Finally growing out of my clothes just solidifies the fact that I'm pregnant."_

_Sesshoumaru smiled and kissed her cheek before taking his haori from the end of the bed. Ember reached for the dress Sesshoumaru's mother first had made for her. It was a loose dress and fit comfortably over the first showings of her child. As she slipped it on she held her hands on her stomach. It had been two months since she'd returned with the news of her being pregnant. Two months since Inu Taisho's death. A month ago Sesshoumaru had woke her up in the middle of the night. This was unheard of. Sesshoumaru was so insistent that she get her rest that he made sure she stayed settled down. But he woke her up and not only that he was genuinely excited. She'd never seen him like that. He'd heard their child's first heartbeat. That was when it became truly real for him. Hearing the tiny heartbeat within the girl he loved more than anything made everything worth it._

"_It's a boy." She said, softly._

_Sesshoumaru looked around. "What?"_

"_Our child." she said just as quietly. "It's a boy."_

"_How can you possibly know that, my love?" he chuckled._

_She took his hand and pressed it against her. "I just know." she looked up at him. Her eyes were shining happily. "It's like I can feel his spirit inside of me. I know it's a boy. Your son. The heir to the western lands."_

_He smiled softly and moved his hand to cup her chin. "Ember," he said. To anyone it would sound uncaring and monotone. But Ember knew him so well that she knew this was how he expressed how much he loved her. "You are forgetting something. This is your child as well. Everyone will know that he is your son as well as mine."_

_She blushed under his look and swore the baby did a back-flip as he kissed her._

Ash was in darkness. Even her fire couldn't penetrate this darkness. She was scared. Where was she? She felt weak, like she couldn't move. And yet she felt like she could fly around the world. Slowly she opened her eyes. She was lying face down on the down on the ground. Slowly she shifted to sit on her knees. Her head was pounding and everything else ached. No training had ever made her feel like that. Twilla had never told her how strong Ember really was. But then again, Twilla had always warned her not to get on the wrong side of her mother.

She looked up and around slowly, blinking against the bright light. Beside her stood an extremely tall figure holding a sword. She looked up at him and blinked against the sun. The man had white hair and amber eyes. He was extremely handsome and Ash knew she was blushing. "Who are you?" she whispered hoarsely.

"I am Sesshoumaru, Lord of these lands. Who are you?"

"My name is Ash. An angel of the first line."

His eyes twitched slightly wider but it was so fast it was like nothing happened. "What is your relation to Ember?" he asked darkly.

Ash blinked and finally it clicked. Sesshoumaru was the name of Ember's mate. Or at least, her mate two hundred years ago. No one was exactly clear about how such a strong bond could be broken. When the rumours finally reached the angel city most of the nobles seemed to think it was because a youkai lord and a slave could never truly be together as a mated pair. Others said because it was because of their lost child. There were so many rumours that it was impossible to know what really happened between them. The only ones who knew were Sesshoumaru and Ember. "I'm Ember's daughter." She whispered nervously.

Sesshoumaru stood stock still. She wondered what he was thinking. The only thing that seemed to change were his eyes. They got harder. Angrier. Even his voice sounded a little different when he spoke. Not quite as calm. "Ember cannot be touched by any man. How is it possible that you're her daughter?"

"What do you mean? Why can't she be touched by a man?"

"Answer my question."

"I was born from the First Line. The spell that keeps the line going when one member of it has gone so long without... well... you know... procreating."

"Impossible. That spell was broken when Ember's powers came back to her."

"It's not a spell. It's a birthright. Even when angels were plentiful and masters of the land those of the first line were rare. The few who were around were all of the western house and a slight few others. When the lines became completely related the women let the lines continue simply through them until the lines are separate again. It's true that most of the children born from the line are girls, but occasionally men were born and that was how the line managed to continue when the families got too close in blood."

Sesshoumaru did not respond, as if he were thinking it over. He seemed to accept it as he did not argue the point. "This explains why Ember wishes for your death. You should return to the city. There at least Shadow can protect you from her wrath."

"No!" Ash snapped desperately. "I left the city to get answers from my mother and about her! I can't go back there without the answers I need!"

He blinked. "Those of the western lands still know Ember well. Stay in these lands. In the last two hundred years this is the first time she has been back. That at least will save you from her."

"You know her the best, why can't I travel with you?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes shadowed over. He was angry. Ash feared this might have been the last straw for him. But then... "I have not known Ember for a long time." he turned and began to walk away. "You will feed yourself. Defend yourself. And if you fall behind, we will not wait for you."

Ash stumbled after him. "Wait... Who's we?"

She fell into step behind him and followed him into the woods. They were not heading in the direction of the village where Ash had followed Ember from the city. In fact they were going the complete opposite way. Perhaps he was trying to avoid the spot, but Ash didn't want to even think about what was going on inside his head. The 'we' he was talking about was a little girl, no older than eight, and an imp who was old and looked impatient. They both looked up and beamed when Sesshoumaru came through the trees. The little girl saw Ash first and ran up to her. "I'm Rin! What's your name?"

Ash hunched down so she was sitting on her toes. Rin was even cuter up close. She beamed. "I'm Ash."

"Come play with me! Master Jaken doesn't like to play."

The little girl grabbed Ash's hand and dragged her off into the trees. Jaken waited until Ash and Rin were out of sight before looking up at his Lord. He was no fool. He'd seen the wings. He knew she was an angel of the first line. And though she bore a slight resemblance to the angry warrior and dangerous woman he'd met a grand total of once, it was definitely not Ember. "If I may, my lord?" he said nervously. "Who is she?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at the imp and Jaken waited for his lord to strike him like he so often did. But this time it didn't happened. Sesshoumaru spoke in his usual calm and deadly voice. But this time Jaken could hear something in his voice that he'd never heard before. He couldn't place it, but there was something not right about it. "Her daughter," he said slowly. "Ember's daughter."

It took a second for the information to sink in. First he was confused, and then shocked. He almost didn't believe his lord. "But, my lord," he said slowly, as if speaking to someone who was stubbornly believing that one plus one was three. "She bears your mating mark. That alone ensures that she cannot be touched by another man. Besides, after what happened... well... do you really think she would try to birth another child?"

"No. Before my eyes I saw Ember kill that girl. You know my power, you know I saved her. Ember has no love for Ash. She did not willingly birth the child. Somehow the spell that continues the line was not broken when her powers were there is more to the First Line than we thought."

Jaken knew that the 'we' did not involve him. it mean Sesshoumaru and Ember, his ex-mate. And as Sesshoumaru stepped passed him he knew the conversation was over. If he pursued it he _would_ get hit and not get any answers. The two youkais walked forward and eventually caught up to Ash and Rin. Rin was introducing Ash or the two-headed dragon Ah and Un or Ah-Un. They were both giggling about something. They both looked up at Sesshoumaru and stifled their laughter.

Ash looked up at the stoic lord. Despite her giddiness with Rin something was bothering her. When Ember attacked, that last fall should have killed. Her neck should have snapped and her skull smashed open. But here she was. Alive. Why? And more importantly, how? She'd closed her eyes before she hit the ground and barely a second later she'd opened them to Sesshoumaru's questions. She opened her mouth to ask him a question but Rin dragged her off again. She didn't really know what to say about him watching her either. She felt almost ashamed for blushing in front of him now. In another time, in another place he would have been her father. But instead they were traveling as strangers.

At nightfall they stopped. Rin tucked herself up against Ah-Un and fell asleep immediately against its warm body. Jaken started a fire and tended to it while Sesshoumaru wondered off. Ash looked from the trees where Sesshoumaru had disappeared and Jaken. She sat cross-legged on the other side of the flames and looked at him. "Master Jaken," she said quietly. " How much do you know about Ember, Lord Sesshoumaru's ex-mate?"

"You mean your mother." Jaken didn't look up and it wasn't a question.

He knew who she was. She eyed the imp carefully. How much should she ask? How much did he know? She didn't want him getting any ideas. She swallowed. "What happened? Between them, I mean."

"I know what you mean." He said slowly. It was his turn to give her a suspicious look. He looked around, as if scared that Sesshoumaru might hear them, before facing her once again and finally speaking. "You have heard of the true mate theory, right?" he asked in a low voice.

She rolled her eyes. "They call it a theory for a reason. Because it happened to one guy and since then everyone thinks there's a chance of true love and true happiness. There's hardly any proof since it states that anyone's true mate can be born at any time before or after yours, can be any breed but human, and can be born anywhere in the world. It's easier to disprove than it is to prove. If it were fifty fifty it would be a true theory."

"Yes, well, Ember and Sesshoumaru are linked by that bond."

Ash stared at her blankly. He wasn't serious, was he? He was. She frowned. "But the theory states that as long as they do not accept the bond they will face extreme pain. They haven't been together in two hundred years."

"Who said they never accepted their bond. They sure as hell accepted. But they cannot stand to be near one another."

"Why?" she urged. "What happened that could break such a bond!? I mean, she was a slave for eighteen years, was that it? But he seems like the kind of guy who would want a submissive mate..."

Jaken shook his head. "Their son died. That's what happened."

Ash narrowed her eyes. She didn't understand. "That's it? I thought it would be something... well... more..."

"You are too young to understand." Jaken sighed. "What else needs to happen? They had everything. And their lives were complete. The child was only going to add to their paradise. But when something as pure and innocent as a child is taken from them, especially from a new couple..."

"It drove them apart." She whispered, understanding slightly.

"I don't know all the details." He said hastily. "The only ones who know what really happened is Lord Sesshoumaru and Ember."

Ash sat in thoughtful silence for a moment. Perhaps it was her age, but she did not truly understand how this all ended up with her mother hating her. She just didn't get it. Jaken cleared his throat. "You'll want to put those wings away, tomorrow. We're stopping in a village and the only angel they ever respected was your mother. We don't know what kind of reaction you could give them."

Ash looked up at her bright red wings. She'd never pulled them into her body. Growing up in the city she never had to hide what she was. none of her friends in the city who had seen the outside world had ever told her that very few actually respected the angels anymore. But she didn't care. She was proud to be an angel. And not just an angel but an angel of the first line! Her defiance must have shown in her face because Jaken scowled. "You'll do as your told. Lord Sesshoumaru will insist on it."

"I'm proud of what I am!" she snapped back. "Why should I hide?"

"Because of what you represent to the people."

Ash whipped around. It was Sesshoumaru. He wasn't even looking at her. He was looing up at the full moon. The blue light made his already pale skin look paper white and his eyes glitter. He looked like a god. Almost as beautiful as one of the fifteenth or fourteenth lines when they were trying to look beautiful for a festival. But once again she felt this sense of guilt for blushing when she first met him. it just kept coming back to her that, in another time and place he would have been her father. Perhaps Ember would have fallen apart at the sight of him. She found it hard to imagine Ember falling apart to anything.

"What does that mean?" she asked softly.

Why should she mean anything to his people. He glanced down to see her confusion. Without blinking an eye, without changing his expression, he continued to explain. "For two hundred years the angel's of the first line have been a symbol of peace and prosperity in these lands. Whenever stories of seeing Ember, in these lands or another my people prosper."

"So shouldn't I be a morale booster in these times of war?" she asked.

"You are too young," he said just as emotionally. "These lands have hardly needed to include themselves in the senseless wars, yet they have kept up their guard, prepared to fight if needed. If they believe the wars are ending because an angel of the first line has returned to the lands the few who survive the wars will lose all faith in the hierarchy."

"From what I've heard you don't seem like someone who cares about the hierarchy." Ashe said, then under her breath, knowing full well that he could hear her. "Even if you _do_ act all high and mighty."

From the corner of her eye she saw Jaken's jaw drop. Sesshoumaru was still looking calmly down at her. She wondered if he wanted to kill her for saying that. Jaken probably did. Slowly Sesshoumaru turned back to the trees. "Follow me."

Ash scrambled up and chased after him. He led her through a patch of trees so thick she kept losing sight of him. She followed him until she broke through the foliage and stood beside him. They were standing on a tall cliff. It was quite a dramatic view. To the west was the castle and the ocean. The remains of the sunset were still hovering in the waves. To the east was the country with little villages scattered miles apart. Behind them were the trees but ahead were the mountains of the north. Though it was a beautiful sight Ash couldn't thing of why he'd brought her here. She looked up at him for an explanation. He didn't look at her but he did speak. "In the short time I was in contact with the angels I learned plenty. There is more the angels of the first line than I thought." He glanced down at her. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"An angel reach of age at sixteen. You know that already."

"Yes."

"On your sixteenth birthday Ember would have brought you to this spot and explain what is expected of the head of the line. It will be nothing new. I'm sure your teachers have been drilling it into your head for years."

Ash nodded. She always hated those lessons. These were the only lessons she had that were taught by Shadow himself. He was a dry and humourless teacher. They would walk along the wall that guarded the angel city and he would lecture about things she didn't care about. She never understood them anyway, so why did it matter?

"This would have been exactly like those lessons. Except that at the end of it all she would have passed on the title and she would have disappeared."

"What?" Ash yelped. She'd expected a lot to come out of this conversation, but no that.

"The only reason Ember has stay in Japan all these years is because she is bound to it. There has been no one else to take care of these lands. But once you are of age she will disappear forever."

"But... but why?"

Sesshoumaru blinked and stared out across the lands he held domain over. It struck her that, in a way, he and Ember were in the same situation. He watched over his father's lands. He did it willingly but he never stayed in the castle where he and Ember shared their lives together. He wandered the lands avoiding the inevitable return. Ember was bound to her lands. She couldn't give it up. And so she avoided anything to do with Sesshoumaru and the angels. She did what was expected of her, no more. "Because she stopped caring a long time ago." Sesshoumaru finally said quietly.

Ash chewed the side of her cheek nervously. She didn't know how to act around this great lord. Even if he did avoid his castle he was still of great importance and if she said one thing wrong he would kill her. It was hard for her to think of Ember as anything but a rouge angel who never cared about anything, despite how the angels in the city used to speak about her like she was a goddess. But under the emotionless tones of Sesshoumaru's voice she could hear pity and... longing? What had these two gone through to make a stoic lord pity and long for an arrogant bitch?


	4. Chapter 4

_Gorra, the lord of the south, looked up from the scrolls to speak but stopped. Sesshoumaru wasn't listening anyway. He was staring out the window. Probably watching Ember in the grounds. He couldn't blame him. Though he was a few hundred years old he was still considerably young for a youkai lord and his mate was much younger and pregnant with their first child. Sure, he performed his job more than admirably but just about everyone knew that the last place he wanted to be was in his office dealing with politics. He wanted Ember by his side all the time. And after all the trouble with Adamar and May who could blame him for wanting that._

_But Ember was a free spirit. Adamar or no Adamar. She still mingled with the servants and soldiers like they were her equals. Aruko, his youngest son and youngest child, did not understand this. He was often impatient with Sesshoumaru and ember for not being able to focus on things that had to be done. And as Aruko's older brother, Roku, passed on the position he'd been taking everything very seriously with a lot of nerves. He was also so used to acting violent towards Ember that when he got stressed he lashed out. However doing this has almost gotten him killed every time. Because of this Gorra wasn't surprised when Aruko cleared his throat to get Sesshoumaru's attention. "My lord," he said brusquely. "We need to discuss the uprising in the continent. Should we be fortifying our forces or not?"_

"_The uprising in the continent is the people against their hierarchy." Sesshoumaru said absentmindedly, taking one last looked out of the window before coming back to the desk. Ember must have come inside or something. "It doesn't concern us until the soldiers start crossing the borders. Ask me that question then. Until then let's move..."_

_Just then the door burst open and Ember rushed in. Aruko growled and he was lucky that Sesshoumaru didn't hear him. His focus was completely on his pregnant mate. Gorro raised his eyebrow and tilted his head to get a better look at the girl. He could remember Ember as a child with her mother and he couldn't help but think how bizarre it looked to see her pregnant. And she was so small compared to his mate or any other female inu youkai that seeing her with a baby bump was just weird. "Ember," Sesshoumaru said in a cool tone. Despite that Gorro knew he was worried. "I'm in a meeting, can't this..."_

_Ember didn't let him finish. She grabbed his hand and pulled it against her stomach. Gorro smiled. He knew what was coming. When Kailo was pregnant with Roku, before they were even really in love, she'd done the same thing. It was something that definitely connected the mated pair. Sesshoumaru blinked. Once. Twice. Sesshoumaru's eyes suddenly widened and he looked down at his hand. Gorro could hear it. The unmistakeable, faint _thump, thump,_ of a child kicking its mother's stomach. This was a rare sight. Something Gorro was never going to see again. Sesshoumaru was smiling. Actually, honestly smiling. He chuckled and stood up. "Come on, Aruko. Time to go."_

"_No!" Aruko slammed his fists on the desk, cracking it, as he stood. "There are things that still need to be discussed! And there's no reason we shouldn't get it done now simply because his whore walks in!"_

_Aruko realised his mistake too late. Sesshoumaru was holding his throat and had lifted him in the air. "Say it again." He snarled._

"_I'm sorry, my lord," Gorro said quickly. "He is naive, he doesn't know what you're going through."_

"_Naive, yes," Aruko choked. "But not stupid. There are things that need to be discussed."_

_Ember took a step forward and put a hand on Sesshoumaru's arm. "Put him down." She said softly. "He won't understand until he feels it."_

_Sesshoumaru growled and put Aruko down and stepped back. But he kept a protective hand on Ember's hip as she reached out. Aruko was watching Sesshoumaru and didn't notice Ember take his hand until she was holding it. He snarled and tried to pull back, but she had a surprisingly strong grip and he couldn't pull away. "Aruko." She whispered. "I know we have had our differences. "You were born to command and I was born to serve. But out of dumb luck we are now equals. You are the youngest of your family, if I remember correctly. You do not know what it is like to watch someone create life. Please, allow me to enlighten you. Perhaps then you can forgive me for something that I cannot control."_

"_I... don't... want..."_

_She ignored him and pressed his hand against her protruding stomach. He growled darkly but didn't resist. He continued to growl for a few moments before suddenly he stopped. Ember smiled. He stared curiously at her. Aruko felt Ember's stomach for a full five minutes before Gorro took him by the shoulder and pulled him out of the office. Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her and placed his hands protectively on her stomach. "You have a way with people, my love. Even the great lords of our country."_

"_He doesn't understand what it's like to create life. To have this beautiful thing growing inside of you." She looked up at him. "I beg you that this is not our only child."_

_Sesshoumaru made a noise that sounded similar to a purr. "I promise you, my sweet little one that Kerkuo will not be our only child."_

"_Keruko?"_

"_Yes. Keruko shall be our son's name. Keru for short, in his younger years."_

_Ember giggled, hugged her stomach and leaned into Sesshoumaru's chest. "Our little Keru." She looked up into his amber eyes. "And his many brothers and sisters to come."_

This time Ember wasn't able to keep herself from crying out. She jumped up and ran a in a random direction to keep herself from waking Karu from his slumber. She reached the edge of a clearing and fell to her knees, sobbing. She'd half forgotten that memory. The memory of how they had come to name their son. How she and Aruko had come to be good friends. But now Keru was dead and Aruko was badly injured. So injured he couldn't move from his bed. The greatest healers couldn't help him. Well, not the greatest. However, the greatest healer would only be found by angels and he was more expensive than any lord can afford.

It took a while for Ember to get a hold of herself. And when she did her eyes were red and swollen and she was shaking all over. Had she been a weaker soul she would have wanted a warm pair of arms to wrap around her to make her feel better. But she was not a weak soul. She was hard and angry. Just then someone put their hands on her shoulders. They were small hands. It was Karu. "Are you ok, my lady?" he asked softly.

"Did I wake you, Karu?"

"I was already up. I heard you crying. Did you have a bad dream?"

"More like a bad memory. Things I wish I never remembered."

"What happened to you, my lady Ember?"

Ember laughed a little. "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to. What happened to me is not a happy story." She stood up and looked out across the clearing. "There is work to do. Come."

Karu followed her across the clearing until they were standing directly in the middle when she sat down again. She took a stick and began making a list of numbers descending backwards from fifteen to one. "First you need to know a little about the angels themselves. All the lines. So let's start with your line. The Fourteenth. Green eyes, green hair, green wings, all representing the ability to save life. Health. It is the belief that it is the blood of the fourteenth line that gives us our long life."

"It's my line that makes us what we are?" Karu asked excitedly.

Ember laughed. "All of the lines make angels what they are. Without the one we are simply not whole. But it is the fourteenth line that gives us our long life."

"What about your line? What about the first."

"They say the first gives the angels the will to fight. The will to defend themselves. It is said that without the angels of the first line to inspire the angels they will simply wither away, like lesser kinds before us."

"Is that why the war ended when your ancestor went into hiding?"

"In my opinion, yes, but there are different theories to that. It would be better to ask one of the elders that."

"Where..."

"Karu," Ember interrupted him. "We have a lot to get through. We will have time for questions later. Ok?"

He nodded. They began walking and Ember continued to talk. "The Fifteenth Line is our line of royalty. They're said to have great skill in reading the stars and some are said to be blessed with the power of foresight. However there is only one left of the fifteenth line and she doesn't show any such ability. She is our queen. Arailia. Her mate or husband, or whatever you want to call it, is of the second line, Shadow. He is king but in words only. He has no real power. The only reason they married was because of the law. When there is only one left of the royal line then they are to marry someone of the first line. But there was no one from the first line to marry her. I'm the last one and, well, we can't exactly produce offspring between the two of us. So someone from the second line was chosen. Shadow."

"May I ask something?"

"Does it have something to do with the fifteenth line?"

"Yes."

"Ok. What is it?"

"What would have happened if it were the other way around? If Shadow were the last of the line? Would you have had to marry him?"

"Well... Arailia and Shadow's marriage was arranged before they realised I was still alive. There is a possibility that they would have tried to make me marry him, but that would really depend on whether they wanted a full scale war or not." She sighed. "You see, I was already with someone else at the time. He's a lord and... Well... at the time he would have started a war to protect me. So even if the last of the fifteenth line were a guy they still would have arranged it with an angel of the second line. There's no other way unless they wanted a second Great War."

"Why do they call wars great? There's nothing great about them. Just a lot of death and pain."

"We all ask why. But all we ever get is when."

Karu didn't speak for a while. He seemed deeply troubled by the idea of war. By all means he should. But it was second nature to him. He was of the fourteenth line, the healers. None of them liked it. None of them could stand watching the innocent being slaughtered meaninglessly. Ember chose not to speak again for a little while. She didn't want to overwhelm him with information quite yet. There was so much for her to teach him though that she couldn't very well wait very long. After an hour or so of waiting she cleared her throat. "Look, I know the idea of war doesn't appeal to you. It doesn't appeal to anyone. No one wants it. But that's also why the angels of the fourteenth line are so important for when the inevitable war does come. Your people the healers. When in the middle of battle and someone is hurt, you and the others are able to go into the field and help them without putting yourself, the patient or anyone else in danger. You're able to put a barrier around yourself and others to protect them. The fourteenth line is what made the city a safe place. No one can see it, no one can find it, and it's the perfect hideout."

"Are you going to teach me to make a barrier?" Karu looked up at her.

"I'm going to do my best." She smiled. "But I'm not of your line so it might seem a little complicated and frustrating."

"I'm prepared to put in the work!" he said excitedly and jumped in front of her. "I want to learn!"

Ember laughed. "I know, kiddo, I know. First we need to find a place where we can meditate. There's a nice little shrine nearby I know of. It's been a good place to me in the past and I bet it's still around."

The young boy scoffed. "What does meditating have to do it anything?"

Ember just shook her head. Karu was like any other boy. He was eager to learn, that may be, but impatient. Very active and not willing to sit for five minutes to concentrate. He was much more content with the walking part of the whole thing as it took them a whole hour to get to the little shrine. She and Karu sat in front of it and she closed her eyes. "Close your eyes and focus."

"Focus on what?"

"Everything. Focus on the power within yourself. Try expanding your power around us."

"But how?"

"Just concentrate."

Karu scowled but closed his eyes. He felt stupid. Just sitting there in front of this stupid shrine. Ember beside him was whispering something in a different language or something. It was soothing. It made it easier to calm down and clear his mind. To his surprise he could suddenly see everything, even with his eyes closed. Only everything seemed to be painted an eerie green colour. But when he looked down at himself he wasn't. He wonder what would happen if...

Karu looked around at Ember. She looked weird with the green mixed in with the red of her hair. She said that he should expand his power. Karu jumped a little. The normal colouring was expanding from him to Ember until it completely surrounded her. She was still praying, but now he could hear her words, even if he couldn't understand them. Her image was a lot clearer too. He could see every scar on her body. He could almost feel what she'd been through. Two hundred years of painful memories and pain in general. Even now, though she seemed at peach with the world. Karu could feel her pain. It was almost unbearable. He couldn't hold on much longer. He gasped and choked and started coughing.

Ember was sitting beside him, waiting for him to catch his breath again. Come on, it's getting late. Let's g settle in for the night."

Karu looked up and around. "When did it get so dark?" he wheezed.

She smiled. "We've been out here for hours."

"What? No, we just sat down five minutes ago!"

"Time runs differently when you're meditating. Come on, before it gets too late."

She stood up and helped him into the hut. The two settled down together and Ember wrapped an arm around him. Karu suddenly realised how tired he was and he snuggled into her arm. "Why are you angry, Ember?" he asked quietly and yawned.

Ember didn't answer. She merely shook her head and stroked his blonde hair until he was breathing evenly. She stared up at the roof. She remembered nights she had shared with Sesshoumaru. Some nights they just lay there and talked for hours. When she was sure he was asleep she pried herself from his side and stepped out into the warm night. It was a full moon. She looked up at it and wondered if _he_ was doing the same.

"Ember,"

She whipped around. There _he_ was. Standing in his absolute perfection under the moonlight. She looked back at the hut and weighed the pros and cons of attacking. She decided against it. She was putting Karu in enough danger without Sesshoumaru around. She walked towards him, before he could come t her. "What is it, Sesshoumaru?" she asked.

"When were you going to tell me you had a daughter?"

"When it became your business." She grumbled. "So in another nine months when she turned sixteen and when I passed my guardian responsibilities to her."

"You didn't think it would be a good idea to tell me you were pregnant?"

Ember blinked. She knew Sesshoumaru. And since she'd left he'd become an emotionless asshole... or at least, more so than normal. But this... this was different. Was he actually offended? "What does it matter?" she glowered. "She wasn't yours, she wasn't anyone. She's a child of the line. Just like me, just like my mother, just like most of of my ancestors before that. There's nothing you could have done about it."

Sesshoumaru didn't respond. He looked down at Ember for a moment and she looked into his golden eyes. She felt her words catch in her throat as she stared at him. He turned away from her and the shrine. "Will you walk with me?" he asked. "Like we used to?"

"I can't do that. Nothing is like it used to be."

She turned on her heel and started to walk back to the hut. "That angel child can't replace him." Ember stopped. Their backs faced each other but they could both feel her anger beginning to bubble. He continued. "He's gone. Keru... he's dead. The human part of you is still clinging to him and clinging for a way to bring him back. And this child... whoever he is... cannot change anything. He cannot replace our son."

A red light began to shimmer around Ember. The hatred and anger that she had for the demon standing behind her was turning into a visible and almost physical thing. This was not instinct like it once was. This was skill and power. And while her anger helped fuel the power, she was no longer a child relying on her feelings to fight. She braced herself, turned and blasted fire from her hands towards him. She knew Sesshoumaru's speed better than anyone. He could not dodge this. The lord of the western lands was as good as dead.


	5. Chapter 5

_Ember lay in the grass and stretched out. She felt like throwing up, running a hundred miles and crying all at the same time. She was a wreck. She was so pregnant now that when she moved she waddled like a duck. She couldn't sit up from a lying position without help and she couldn't stand up, even from a chair, without someone with sure footing. Keruko was kicking with the full force of an inu youkai and she sometimes woke up with bruises on her stomach. She had to pee six hundred times a day and her emotions were on the fritz. The week before she accused of Sesshoumaru of not wanting to touch her because she was getting fat, apologised for yelling at him, and then, when he reached out to hold her, screamed at him to not touch her. When her mind cleared of her emotions, finally, she realised that she scared him. Probably the only thing that ever did. _

_That was probably when he wrote to the other ladies of the lands. Karu, Mira, Kogaru, Mira's mate, and Kailo were there the next day. The three ladies took Ember to the retreat they went to ages ago when they first met and Kogaru went to Sesshoumaru. She assumed that Kogaru comforted him or explained that the first pregnancy is always the worst. Stuff like that. The opposite of what the women told her. All of the pregnancies suck. They're all horrible experiences to a certain point. The good points were always memorable, but they always sucked. They didn't get better, they just got used to them. Men just think they got easier. It was easier for them to believe that than truly understand what was going on. _

_Karu was the only one who could stay longer than a day. She had the new baby, Yuki, with her and at the time she felt safer in the western lands than in her own lands. Adamar was still being punished for crimes against the western lands and Miraz, Karu's mate, was trying to keep May from getting in too much trouble before it was too late. From what Ember and Sesshoumaru were told Karu had been avoiding her older children and keeping her newborn Yuki away from them. It seemed that she didn't want her newborn child from being corrupted right from the beginning. So Karu had decided that she was going to stay until Ember had Keruko for emotional support and from an experienced friend. She'd had three kids by then, she knew what to do. She was probably the only one who could calm them both down._

_Ember groaned and looked down at her belly. "Two more weeks." She muttered. "Then the real fun begins. Hurry up, kiddo."_

"_Be patient." Karu laughed from beside her. "Trust me, it's all going to be over soon."_

_Ember looked up at her friend. "What's it like?" she asked._

"_Giving birth? Oh god it hurts like a bitch."_

_Ember stared at her. Her heart sank into her stomach. She could handle pain, she wasn't worried about that. She was more worried about how Sesshoumaru would take it. Karu must've seen the fear on her face. "Ember, honey, the thing you need to know is that no matter what is going on while you're giving birth, it's the most amazing feeling ever. And you might think never again and when you and Sesshoumaru start having sex again you'll watch your time of the month... but after while you'll stop caring. And all you'll want is to do it all over again. And you will. Keruko is the first of many children to come."_

"_You're probably right," Ember sighed and once again looked down at her belly. "Still, it'll be nice to see my toes again."_

Ash blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked around. Something didn't seem right. She looked over at Rin who was sleeping against Ah-Un. Jaken was sleeping next to the fire. The woods were quiet. Except for a strange rushing sound. Like water over a waterfall or... Without thinking Ash launched herself over to Rin, picked her up and got out of the way just as a huge blast of white hot fire came through. It hit Ah-Un full force and barely missed Jaken. Rin screamed in fear and Ah-Un blasted through the fire, unscathed. Jaken jumped up and panicked. Ash looked at where the fire was coming from. "Sesshoumaru went that way." She whispered.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin cried out, wriggled out of Ash's arms and darted along the wall of flames.

"Rin!" Ash ran after her. She didn't want to. She only knew one person with the strength to summon so much fire for so long. And the last time they met Ember had tried very hard to kill her.

Ember smirked. Her aim was perfect. She'd hit him dead on. He was dead. That was a fact. By now there would be nothing but ash so she let the stream of fire wither to nothing. As the fire and smoke died down the smirk slid off her face. Sesshoumaru was still standing there, holding a blade in front of him. He was a little singed but still very much alive. He sheathed the blade and pulled out the second sword at his side.

Ember was shocked but only for a second. Her attacks were easily a hundred times faster than she was, but she was fast. It took a moment for the dust to kick up because of her speed, but Sesshoumaru was always faster. He blocked her attack and sent lightning from his blade after her. She twisted in the air to avoid it but could smell burned feathers. She dove after him using her flight as an advantage. She simply hoped to keep him occupied enough so he wouldn't have a chance to transform. He might not think her worth it though. This thought alone added fuel to the fire and Ember pushed herself to be faster. She always watched his moves. Over the years Sesshoumaru had only gotten stronger and bigger. She aimed for his left side as he seemed to be wary of that side. Perhaps he'd injured it. Perhaps it was a ploy. But it was her best shot at an advantage.

They'd been going at it for only a moment when a shrill, child's voice broke through the roar of fire and lightning. Whoever it was screamed Sesshoumaru's name and he was distracted it. Ember had a perfect shot at his left arm. By spinning fire around her hand with extreme speed she was able to cut away flesh like it was nothing more than dry leaves. but something was not quite right. Where was the blood? She skidded to a halt ten feet away and looked around. There Sesshoumaru stood with his back facing her again. The torn off sleeve had blown away in the wind and the gaping hole in haori revealed the scarred, but healed stump that was now his arm. His arm had already been ripped off some time before. That was why he favoured his right side... because there was nothing there to defend himself.

Ember turned her attention to the child who cried out his name. She wasn't sure what she expected but she did not expect to see a human child running towards him. She laughed. How typical for him to criticize her trying to replace Keru when he was doing the exact same thing, only with a human girl. She was about to say just that when he eyes fell on the second figure behind them. Ash. "YOU!" Ember screeched and with blinding speed sped towards her daughter.

Sesshoumaru turned just in time to stop her by catching her around her waist. She spun out of his grip, grabbed one of his swords and sped towards Ash who didn't seem to realize she was under attack. Ember put all of her strength into striking Ash with the blade. _This time,_ she thought furiously. _This time she's dead. There's no way she can survive this!_ She grabbed a tree to keep herself from going too far and looked back at Ash. She'd cut clean through the girl. The wound was gleaming with a strange light before it disappeared and Ember was looking at Ash's back. There wasn't even a scratch on her kimono. "WHAT!?" She shrieked.

She was about to go on when a thought struck her. She looked down at the sword she was holding. She knew this blade. But it had been years since she'd seen it. In fact, the last time she saw it was the last time she saw its original owner, Inu Taisho, two hundred years ago. Sesshoumaru's father had three swords. Two he had built to protect his lands and protect his human mate. The third he had taken control of so it wouldn't destroy everything it came across. Ember remembered all three of them. Sounga, the sword he controlled so the lands wouldn't be destroyed. Tessaiga and Tensaiga were the two blades he had forged from his own fangs. Tessaiga, the blade that could end a thousand lives with a single swipe. Tensaiga, the blade that could save a thousand lives with a single swipe. The last she heard of them Inu Taisho had refused his eldest son both the Sounga and the Tessaiga. The sword Ember held in her hand now was neither of those swords. The blade she held in her hand was the Tensaiga. A completely harmless blade that couldn't cut paper let alone cut flesh. But it did explain how Ash was alive after Ember had smashed her head into the earth.

She walked back up to Sesshoumaru and put the Tensaiga in its sheath at his waist. "Have you someone to protect, My Lord?" she hissed scathingly, glaring into his golden eyes. "How far will you sink, Sesshoumaru, to protect a child that isn't yours?"

She started back to the hut where Karu had run out to see what all the commotion was about, but he grabbed her arm. His grip was tight enough to crush stone. He pulled her close and snarled in her ear. "If it's a war you want, it's a war you'll get. This girl has done nothing to disserve your hatred."

"This girl has done nothing to disserve your love," she hissed back. "What she's done is defied the orders of the head of the family and clan. By angel law I have every right to kill her. Last time I checked you have no right to interrupt that."

"I try to make it my business when you start trying to kill children."

"She's fifteen. She's old enough to figure out the world is a cruel place."

"She's too..."

"Young?" Ember ripped her arm from Sesshoumaru's grip. "My mother died when I was five years old, leaving me to take tea up to youkai lords who killed humans like us without a second thought. I figured out what the real world when I was barely old enough to reach the counter in the castle kitchen. She has to take responsibility of these lands in nine months. She better figure it out pretty damn quickly."

She took a step back from Sesshoumaru and went to Karu. He looked up at Ember and neither of them smiled. He knew a lot about her from the rumours and legends. Even the things he didn't know he knew better than to ask about. If she wanted him to know she would tell him.

Ash watched her mother storm towards the blonde boy waiting for her. She didn't need the ability to sense power to know he was another angel. Probably one of the thirteenth or fourteenth lines. But she had other things to worry about. She was almost killed, again, by her own mother. She looked up at Sesshoumaru who was also watching her. "Ok, you need to tell me what the hell is going on with her. What is her problem?"

"The world has not been kind to Ember." He growled and turned away.

When Jaken tried to stop her from following her she kicked him into a tree and she ran after him. "You're still defending her!?" She shouted. "She's tried to kill me twice in less than two days, who knows how many times she tried to kill you over the last two hundred years. The world has not been kind? What kind of bullshit is that? She had everything going for her and she threw it away, that's not the world's fault!"

Sesshoumaru suddenly turned and grabbed Ash's throat, squeezing hard enough she couldn't speak. His eyes were blood red and he was growling. It was the most emotion she'd ever seen in him. "Ember was born a human slave. When she was four years old her mother and grandmother began to take her on their rounds, teaching her how to act around youkais, so not to get herself killed. By the end of the first month her mother was almost killed four times, protecting her from my father's guests. By the end of six months she had her first wound. She was too small to carry the plates the lords were giving her and she fell and broke them. Her mother wasn't able to get there fast enough to take the hit. She was in the infirmary for a week. Neither her mother or grandmother took her on the rounds for three months. Three months after that the only family she ever had died by an illness that doesn't affect demons. She wasn't even allowed to see their bodies.

"For thirteen years she served the youkai lords of Japan, taking every piece of abuse they could dish out. When she was eighteen she was targeted by one of the lord's sons. He used spells on her, courted her and made her feel like walls around her were closing in on her. When she declined his courtship he tried to kill her, revealing that she was an angel. But instead of releasing her from being a slave she was enslaved by expectations. My mother left her with the responsibilities of a Lady when she found out my father's human whore was pregnant with that half-breed. An innocent child died in her arms, her father and grandfather were killed brutally, all because she refused the affection of a lord.

"After everything she'd been through, the world should have let her be when the business with the north subsided. And yet she suffered a stillbirth that nearly killed her. On top of that the King and Queen you know as Shadow and Arailia fully explained what she is as the last of the First Line. She lost it. Broke her down even more. Imagine a series of huge explosions happening in very quick succession in a very small space. The automatic, human response is to push it down and cover it up. She ran away. For two hundred years that worked. She didn't have to deal with anything but the nightmares. Sixteen years ago she finds out she's pregnant with no one's child, a thousand memories come back and torture her. She remembers everything she'd been trying to forget for two centuries. You probably wonder why Ember is not the mother you always wanted. The answer is simple; because after Keruko died she had no desire to live, let alone create life. I defend her because I did not before. I failed her. I did not fulfill my duties as her mate and while we no longer have anything to do with each other I will not stand to have someone to claim that she simply threw her life away."

He dropped her and she crumpled to the ground gasping for breath. Ash looked up at him and saw his eyes were closed and he was holding his breath. Probably to calm himself down. "You still love her." she rasped.

He opened his eyes slowly. They'd returned to their normal gold. "I am beginning to see why Ember tries so dearly to kill you." He said. Once again his voice was completely void of emotion.

It scared at her. She never feared him until she spoke against Ember. Sesshoumaru turned and walked away in a completely opposite direction Ember was going. Jaken walked up to her and whispered; "You might want to just go back home. Before you get yourself killed."

Ash swallowed hard as Jaken walked past her, leading Ah-Un with Rin. Rin looked back at her once more before they disappeared into the trees. Ash felt tears well up in her eyes. Maybe she was way in over her head. She was alive through pure luck, not because she was of any use in this world. She should have just stayed with Twilla. Ash reached up to touch her necklace to warp back to the city. Go back where she belonged. She narrowed her eyes. She couldn't move her arm. She looked down at her wrist and saw something wrapped around it. Then there were more around her neck, waist and wings. That was when she noticed a face right beside hers. He was deathly pale his eyes were as red as her own. Only his were cruel and filled with malice. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He said in a dark voice and smirked. Ash was about to scream when her mouth was covered and she was cast into darkness.

Arailia stumbled and clutched the wall for support. Several angels ran up to her but she waved them away. Something wasn't right. She couldn't explain it. She rushed outside and looked up at the stars. Where were they? She turned to the temple and with one quick flap of her wings she was on top of the building and staring up at the stars. "Arailia,"

She looked around and saw Shadow. She looked back up at the stars. "I can't find her." she said. "She's not here."

"Slow down. Who's not there?"

"Ash." She pointed into the sky. "There's Ember, where she's been for the last two days. Ever since she escaped the hanyou. Naraku, did she say his name was? Anyway, Ash left shortly after Ember did. They went to the woods where you found her, god they're so unclear. I've been following them since they left. There was a flicker in the stars, like Ash was dead but only for a moment. But now... she's just gone. I felt something... something like... horror... and now I can't find her. She's just gone."

She looked up at her husband who was also looking up at the stars. He laughed a little. "You know, after all these years, I still have a problem following you when you start talking about what's in the stars."

"Shadow," she whispered. "Ash could be in trouble. Real trouble. We always knew Ember could take care of herself, which is why we never went after her. She's a fully fledged and trained angel of the first line, she's been through more than any angel has in thousands of years. We would have simply gotten in the way and probably would have been killed. But Ash is a child!"

"A child who can take down the best soldiers we have."

"Shadow," Arailia cut across him. "She could be killed. And then our society is down one more angel. We've lost enough."

"They're the last of their line. To lose one would be a tremendous loss to their clan and to our people."

"So what can we do about it? They're out there. We're here. Even so, Ember wouldn't care. She hates Ash. And the stars say nothing about our interfering. We should just stay here, where we're all safe."

Arailia looked up at the stars and felt her heart sink. For the first time in her life she didn't feel right about what the stars were telling her. "I think Ember is right." She whispered. "I think we rely on the stars too much."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hello, readers. I've been getting a lot of questions about what happened before Ember and Sesshoumaru. More specifically how the angels of the first line went from the lords of the west to slaves in their own house. I am currently working on how that happened if anyone is interested in reading it. I can't post it here since it has nothing to do with Sesshoumaru or Naraku or anyone in the actual anime. So if you, dear reader, want to find out how Ember's family were born as slaves just send me a message and I can send it through DocX or email or whatever is easiest for you. Happy readings.**_

"_Christ almighty, when is this going to start?" Ember snapped, pacing back and forth._

_Ember's water had broken over an hour ago. Like all first time parents she and Sesshoumaru had rushed to the infirmary while ignoring everything they had been told what to do when the inevitable happened. Like relaxing until the contracted happened more frequently. But they went down, argued, panicked and finally listened to the nurse. She said walk around to get the labour started so Ember paced. Sesshoumaru stood stiffly watching her walk back and forth. Karu had been summoned and she was sitting calmly on one of the beds playing with her own baby. "Relax." Karu said. "It'll come. And when it does," she glanced up at Sesshoumaru and smirked. "Well, just be glad you heal fast."_

"_Goddamnit, Karu, you don't need to scare him anymore than he already is. Hell, I'm scared too, I don't need to hear any of thi..."_

_Her sentence was cut off by her scream of pain. She doubled over and screamed even louder. Sesshoumaru was at her side in a moment. "Is this normal?" he snapped at Karu who was calmly handing Yuki over to servant._

"_She's fine. Lie her down on a bed. It's time to push."_

_Sesshoumaru helped Ember into the bed. Some of the pressure was relieved when Ember lay down but the pain was unbearable. She sat up but the second she did pain shot through her and she lay back down. "Something's wrong." she heard the nurse say._

"_What?" she yelp but then screamed in pain._

_She reached out and Sesshoumaru took her hand. He was shaking almost as much as she was. She looked desperately into his eyes. "What's going on?" she whimpered. "What's wrong? Sesshoumaru..."_

"_Push, Ember!" Karu shouted. "Push! Take a deep breath and push as hard as you can."_

_Ember tried to calm herself down enough to take a breath and push. It was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. More painful than any wound inflicted by any of the lords, more painful than when her wings grew out the first time. She clutched to Sesshoumaru's hand and pushed. The fact that there was something wrong finally clicked when Sesshoumaru shouted out; "Where is all that blood coming from?"_

"_I don't know, my lord," the nurse cried out. "I'm trying. Keep pushing, honey!"_

_Ember screamed and pushed one last time before the pain was gone. She felt limp and week. She still clung to Sesshoumaru's hand and listened for Keruko's cry. But there was nothing but shouts and other sounds. "Keru..." she whispered hoarsely. She waited for Karu or the nurse to hand her Keru. But no one did. Sesshoumaru's grip was getting tighter and tighter. "Where is my son?" she slurred._

_Everything was getting blurry. "Oh my god," Someone snapped. "She's bleeding. A lot! I don't know where it's coming from!"_

"_Keru!" Ember cried out. She couldn't see. Everything was gray and fuzzy. Sesshoumaru's hand slipped from hers and she cried out. "Sesshoumaru!" she screamed before everything went black._

Ember threw a rock out into the water. Beside her Karu was weighing a rock and trying to form a barrier around it. Occasionally green light would flare up and flicker before disappearing and the rock would fall heavily into his hand. In which he would look up at Ember before throwing the rock into the ocean, picking up a new rock and doing it all over again. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know her well enough to ask what was bothering her.

Ember bent down and picked up a rock shaped like a crescent moon. She lined the outside with a finger. "I'm taking you home." She sighed. "I've taught you enough so that you'll be noticed pretty quickly by Nikko."

"Who's Nikko?"

"The head of your line." She looked out at the ocean. "I never should have brought you along. I have too many enemies."

Karu looked up at her. "What happened to you? All those years ago, something happened."

Ember weighed the rock in her hand. "I was pregnant with his child. We named him Keruko. Everything was perfect. But my body wasn't strong enough to deliver him safely into this world. The nurse and the other woman helping me with the birth said that he was dead a full day before I went into labour. They were wrong. I could feel him kick so much before my water broke. Thinking back on it... I think he was crying out for help. Like he knew something was wrong before we did. I almost died giving birth to a dead child. After that, when I needed him the most, Sesshoumaru wasn't there for me. And when he was ready to be there for me I was already gone. Now we can't look at each other without wanting to kill each other."

"Are you trying to replace your son with me?"

"I'm not sure." She sighed. "Maybe I am. Or maybe I just can't stand seeing another angel go through a human life like what I had. Or maybe I just hate watching people act like they're better than they are and take it out on the little guys. I grew up a slave. When I became an angel and fell in love with Sesshoumaru I thought everything was going to be easier. This is what I get for believing life is easy."

"Who's the other girl?"

"My daughter and heir. A child of the line. Like me. No father. One day, sixteen years ago, I realised I was gaining quite a bit of weight despite my diet at the time. Normal people, even angels, don't gain weight while living off of berries and herbs. I went to the angels for an explanation. After a lot of practise your kind is able to feel the life force of a fetus days old. The head of your clan was able to tell without a doubt that I was pregnant. Not only that, but he was able to say that she was a child of the line. They had to lock me up for three days, bound head and foot, before I calmed down and stopped trying to cut her from my own belly. I was ordered by Arailia and Shadow to stay in the angel city until the child was born. I couldn't listen. So we made an arrangement so that if I were to leave the city I would leave with a guard. Shadow's sister, Twilla, and I were already friends so she guarded me along with another of the second line. The second line angels are the angels of shadows. They have abilities that not even I can explain. It's why they were chosen to guard the child inside of me."

"If you didn't want her why did they make you?"

"When a line is on the brink of extinction and they're blessed with a child of the line they can't just let the mother kill the child. I accepted that when they let me out of lock down. But that was also the moment I decided that I would never love that child. I never wanted her. I still don't. But I would not let her have the life I did. She would grow up an angel, that's why I forbade her from leaving the city when she was old enough to understand. She couldn't just run away like I did. More importantly, or maybe just selfishly, I wanted her to be able to take over the lands so I could run away. Leave Japan. See what's on the other side of the ocean and see what other lands are out there. But I had to be hard on her. When I saw her outside the city I had to perform my duty. What's sick is that I actually enjoyed it. And I would gladly do it all over again. Get behind me."

The order came so calmly that Karu almost missed it. But when she turned to the trees and pulled out her wings he understood and backed up. There was a scream and a blonde woman stumbled backwards out of the trees. "N-no... St-stop it! Get away from me!"

After the woman came three men chasing her. Ember could see they were horny bastards. But if that wasn't enough to piss her off she recognised the golden wings coming from her back. Ember stormed up to one of the men, grabbed his throat and lifted him off the ground. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed. "This is a queen. Give her the respect she's due."

She dropped the man and he took a wild swing at her. Ember caught the man's fist and crushed it. He screamed in pain before taking off with his two friends and she turned on Arailia. It was amazing. Even in the world outside the angel realm Arailia was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Her golden hair and wings almost glowed even in the real world. "What are you doing here?" she snapped. "You've never left the city in your life. Only Shadow has gone out and it was supposed to stay that way. He's the strongest."

"Ember!" Arailia gasped and stood up. "Shadow doesn't know I'm here. I needed to talk to you. It's important! Ash is in danger."

"Yes, she is, if she's not back in the city by the time I'm there next."

"No... What? I mean real danger."

Ember shook her head and walked back to Karu. "The stars don't concern me, Arailia. Send Shadow if you're so concerned."

"Shadow doesn't believe me!" she cried. "I wouldn't have noticed it in the stars if I didn't feel it first."

Ember frowned. "You felt it?"

"Yes, I was just walking and then I had this feeling that there was something seriously wrong. And when I checked the stars Ash wasn't there. She was just gone, like you were when you were human and when you were caught by that half demon... Naraku, did you call him?"

"So you felt it and _then_ you checked the stars?"

"Yes! That's what I'm trying to tell you! I can't tell you why or how I felt it I just did!"

"Have you been drinking?"

"Damn it, Ember!"

"Ash doesn't concern me, Arailia, you knew that before you came here so irrationally! You should go home and watch the sleep it off. Or better yet, let Shadow touch you, god knows you both need it."

"Remember who you're talking to!" She screamed back. "I'm ordering you..."

"Remember where you're talking, Arailia," Ember snapped across her words. "You're on my lands, whether I want them or not I am the angel ruler here. You have no power. You can order me all you like but until you say the words within the city I have every right to refuse you and use orders on you. So _I'm _ordering you to get off my lands!"

Arailia hesitated and stammered before growling in defeat and spreading her golden wings. Ember waited until she was gone before turning to Karu. "I'm taking you home. Now. I can't put you in any danger while I do this."

"You're going after Ash? But... you said..."

"To get Arailia back in the city. If she stays she'll insist on coming and then when she gets killed and I'll be in serious trouble. So I sent her home and I'll go get Ash from the serious trouble she's gotten herself into so that I can get her back in the city. And then I'll kill her myself."

"What if I insist on coming?"

"I'll command..."

"You are not the head of my line." Karu interrupted her. "And though you are the lady of my lands I'm claiming angel status at this moment and claiming my right to not have to listen to you. I'm going with you to save your daughter."

Ember stared at him with some surprise before scowling and admitting that she had no choice.

Sesshoumaru stopped and sniffed the air. There was something strange on the air. It was faint. Like ice melting in the beginning of spring. It was the kind of scent and angel had. Now that he thought about it... he turned and saw the beautiful form of Arailia running out of the bushes. It seemed weird to see the queen of angels touching the ground outside the city, let alone running.

"Sesshoumaru," she called. "There's no time to explain! Ember has a daughter and..."

"I'm aware that Ember had a child."

"Ok, good, you know that... she's in trouble, Sesshoumaru. Ember won't lift a finger to help her and the angels can't afford to lose Ash. She's the only one of the first line who actually cared about the angels." She stopped for a moment and actually looked into Sesshoumaru's eyes. "I'm sorry," she deflated. "It's not fair for me to ask you this. I'll... I'll go now."

"Arailia." Sesshoumaru called. "I'll find her. But in the mean time you should go home."

"What?"

"Our world is not a safe place. When I've found her I'll send her home."

"Thank you." The corner of her mouth twitched before she reached up for her necklace and disappeared.

Ash looked desperately around even though she knew it was futile. She was blindfolded, gagged and bound. Blood from the wounds in her wings trickled down her arms. She remembered the injuries Ember suffered days ago when she was training with Twilla. Holes in her wings. This must have been why. Pegs had been hammered into the joints of her wings and chains connected her to the wall. Everything hurt. She couldn't move. She was scared to death. She fought every second she was being bound but it was like she was a screaming child fighting against her father while he was putting her to bed. She didn't stand a chance. How many times she screamed _'what do you want with me'_ she didn't know but he never answered. She had no idea what he wanted with her.

Her power was drained, she couldn't even create a spark to blow up the wooden wall she was chained to. She could hear the footsteps of someone getting closer. She tried to move but there was nothing she could do. She tried to scream out but only made a strangled noise. Suddenly the blindfold was ripped off and she blinked a few times before focussing on the man in front of her. He was long, greasy black hair and burning red eyes. His eyes reminded her of Ember. Only his eyes were filled with cruelty as well as hatred. He reached up and stroked Ash's cheek. "Don't worry," he said in a deep, dark voice. "It's not you I'm really after. You're just the bait. And now that I know how to truly keep an angel like you subdued she will not escape me again. "

Ash blinked. Her sense of fear had suddenly turned into a sense of annoyance. He was after Ember. And he actually thought that using Ash was going to draw her in. So she was about to get killed because of her mother. This was hardly fair. The man in front of her seemed to see her sudden change of heart and he smirked. "I just hope your dear mother remembers to bring your queen along with her. I'll be very disappointed if she forgets. "

It clicked. Arailia would know that Ash had been captured. She would know that Ember would never try to rescue her so she would rally the army for a rescue party. But she wouldn't come herself. She would send Shadow or Twilla. Nothing in this situation worked. She had no idea why he thought that he could actually capture the queen buy putting her at risk. All she wanted to do right at that moment was kill the man in front of her. She tried to pull away from the chains and achieved nothing but causing more pain. Naraku chuckled. "Relax... your mother will soon be..."

Before he could finish his sentence a wall of fire blasted through the wall, hitting Naraku and engulfing him in flame. The heat was intense and it almost made Ash feel hot. It was Ember's fire. Ash couldn't believe it. She looked desperately around for her until she saw the young angel of the fourteenth line appeared in front of her. "Don't move. I'll get you out of here."

The first thing he did was rip the gag off. "What are you doing here!?" Ash snapped.

"Lady Ember was adamant that she would be the only one to kill you. Basically."

The boy ripped one of the pegs out. Ash screamed and pulled against the chains. "Stop moving!" he cried desperately. "You're bleeding too much. I'm no good at healing yet, you have to be careful."

She pulled out the second peg and began to work on the chains around her wrists. "Lord Sesshoumaru!?" Ash gasped.

Karu looked around in time to back away as Sesshoumaru pulled out a sword and slashed the shackles open. Ash collapsed, being unable to support herself. "Run." Sesshoumaru said before turning to the battle before him.

Naraku stood a hundred yards away, power radiated around him and cool fury burned in his eyes. Ember stood like a true warrior facing Naraku. In her hands were two blades made of white fire. Sesshoumaru could not think of where she came up with that idea. It was a deadly idea. Her wings were raised as high as they could, preparing for her to take off at any second. Her fire red hair swayed in the wind. Sesshoumaru stepped up to stand beside her. "What are you doing here?" she growled. "I don't need your help."

"I'm not here for you." He snarled back. "There's something I need to settle with Naraku."

"So be it. Just don't get in my way."

Arailia gasped for breath as she appeared back in the temple in the angel city. She was surprisingly good at the traveling method of the angels considering she'd never done it before. She didn't like the feeling though. Like squeezing through a tube. "I should have known there was something wrong."

She whipped around and saw Shadow, leaning against one of the pillars. He looked furious. Arailia sighed but held her head high. She was a queen. And even though he was her king she still held rank over him as he was not of the fifteenth line. "What are you talking about?" she blinked.

"You asked all of us to leave so you can pray alone. You hate being alone. But you risked it so you could sneak out of the city. Why?"

"I needed to be a queen. And being a queen means protecting her people. Ash needed help. So I acted as a queen to bring her home safely."

"How so?"

"Ember."

"Hates her daughter. It was foolish for you to think that she would act in any way to help Ash."

"And Sesshoumaru."

"Why Sesshoumaru?"

"He was the only one I could think of who would actually help. And he would. He said he'd bring her back."

"You're not supposed to leave the city." Shadow straightened and walked towards her. "No member of the fifteenth line has left the city in a thousand years. Your place is here."

"I don't have a place if I don't act like a queen!" she screamed. "I've failed at everything. I've failed as a mother, as a wife, a queen... There's nothing left but to act outside city. These angels are my people and my people are in danger. I don't disserve this title if I don't act like the queen they need me to be!"

"Putting yourself in danger will not make you the queen you think you need to be." Shadow snapped.

"The outside world is not what it used to be. You know that. Yes, there are dangers, but we aren't being hunted as we once were. One of Ember's close friends was a cat. Now if you're going to tell me that cats still hunt us for our land then there's something seriously wrong with us."

"So what do you want me to do, Arailia?!" he snapped back. "Call in the second and third lines? Start a war that we know nothing about?"

Arailia suddenly felt a flash of fury course through her. "When Ash comes back I want to hear what she has to say. And Sesshoumaru. I want to know who this Naraku is. And if he poses a threat to our kind. And if he does pose a threat I will join that war with or without the support of your line! And I'll be _damned _if you so much as try to stop me."


	7. Chapter 7

_Ember screamed in pain. Her stomach was killing her, worse than anything she'd ever felt before. And she had had some wicked cramps before. She sat up, curled her knees to her chest and began to bawl. She didn't understand. No one told her about this part. "Hug this, Ember." Said Karu's voice._

_Ember uncurled herself long enough to take the warm object and pull it against her stomach. After a minute the pain ebbed away and she was able to sit up. Karu was sitting beside her. One of the nurses must have taken Yuki as she was empty handed. Her face was blotchy and red. She had been crying. But Ember didn't think of that. She looked around the room for Keru. "Where's Keru?" she asked weakly._

_Karu took a shuddering breath and began to cry again. "He... um... he didn't make it."_

"_What?" Ember narrowed her eyes. "Where is he? Is he with Sesshoumaru? I want to see him."_

"_No, Ember... I mean Keruko... he's gone. He's dead."_

_Ember looked into Karu's eyes. The swollen and bloodshot black eyes told her that it was true. But she couldn't believe it. She shook her head. "No... He can't be... Where is my son, Karu?"_

"_Ember he's gone."_

"_Why are you lying to me!" she screamed. "Where is Keruko!"_

"_I'm sorry..." Karu sobbed. "I'm sorry, Ember, I'm so sorry..."_

_Ember screamed in pain and sorrow as she stood up from the bed. She was bleeding again, she could feel the blood trickle down her leg. But she didn't care, how could she think of something like that at a time like this. She ran to the door of the infirmary and crashed through it, landing on her hands and knees. She stumbled up the stairs to the sixth floor to where Sesshoumaru's office was. She didn't bother to knock or announce herself. She simply crashed through the door and looked around. Sesshoumaru was at his window. He'd turned when he heard the door open. His face was completely blank. "Tell me it's not true." She whispered in a shuddering sob. "He can't be dead, Sesshoumaru, he just can't be..."_

_Sesshoumaru didn't move. He didn't say anything. His eyes didn't even twitch. Ember took three steps, before finally losing her footing because of the exhaustion and blood loss. She fell to her knees half way across the room sobbing. Tears falling from her eyes onto the floor. Sesshoumaru didn't even make a move to help her. He simply stared down at her like nothing had happened. Like she was nothing. She looked up at him, looking for some kind of recognition in the demon she loved. She needed him to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be ok. But he didn't move._

_Finally he glanced up back at the door. Ember looked around. It was Karu and the nurse. "Take Ember back to the infirmary." He said blankly before turning back to the window._

"_Sesshoumaru..." Ember whimpered so quietly she wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't hear her. But his ear twitched so she knew he did. "Sesshoumaru... please..."_

_Karu and the nurse slipped heir arms under her arms and pulled her up._

_Ember let the two half drag, half carry her out of the office. She looked one last time at him, hoping he would at least look at her. But all she saw was his back._

Twilla looked around nervously. She'd never seen anything like this in the city before the entire second, third and fourth lines were all standing at attention. Shadow had come to her and told her to pull all the soldiers together. Now she stood in front of them and had no orders. She could see the direst among them. She didn't like it much either. She turned to look at her brother and his wife. Arailia looked angry and was whispering to Shadow. She stepped away from the soldiers to her brother and sister in-law. "What is going on, Shadow?" she asked. "The soldiers are getting jumpy. And I don't much like standing around for nothing either. What are we waiting for?"

Arailia glanced around to see if there was anyone listening. "The angels may have an enemy, Twilla." She whispered. "We know nothing about him except that his name it Naraku."

"Isn't he the guy who caught Ember? She looked like a wreck when she came back."

"Yes. I believe he now holds Ash in his clutches."

"So you've gathered the army to bring her back?"

"No. Sesshoumaru is bringing her back. But I want to know more about this guy and if he poses a true threat to us then we shall fight. To protect ourselves and our family."

"We have no proof, Arailia." Shadow snapped.

"I'm all for it." Twilla shrugged.

"Twilla!" Shadow snapped. "Our place is in the city, not at war on the outside."

"Easy for you to say, you're the only one who's been on the outside."

"What are you talking about, you have too!"

"Slinking among the shadows following Ember. Never enjoying the real sun of the real world. All I know is what you've told me. But maybe the world isn't just a dangerous place anymore. And even if it is them I've had enough of hiding. I'd rather stand and fight then cower in an alternate world. I think they feel the same. This emergency line up is the most action they've gotten in their entire lives. We're all military trained and yet we have nothing to defend. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to fight. But I do think it's time for us to rejoin the world again."

"Neither of you understand," Shadow said in a voice that Twilla knew as a dangerous tone. He was on the edge of losing control. "No, we are not being outright hunted anymore. But there are still obvious dangers. If we show our faces again the current lords will think that we expect them to hand their lands back over to us. Even if we don't emerge into a war with this Naraku guy a war will ensue because we emerged. The situation is delicate!"

"Then we will discuss it diplomatically." Arailia snapped. "Sesshoumaru is on our side, he knows we only want peace. And Ember knows the other lords. She will be on our side."

"Why on earth would that bitch care?" Shadow exploded. "She hates us. She was happier thinking she was the last angel on earth!"

"Because it means that she will no longer be connected to this place. This place is a cage to her, its somewhere she'll never feel at home. If we leave the city it leaves her free to travel the world while keeping her duties as the head of the first line. She will feel like she has no choice but to take our side in it."This Arailia had said in a voice so calm Twilla almost didn't recognise her. After a moment Arailia sighed and reached out to take Shadow's hand. "I know you feel responsible for them. You should... you're their king. But I am their queen. You need to let me be a queen. Trust me to do the right thing."

Shadow didn't get the chance to respond. At that moment a bright red light filled the city from the wall. The soldiers all turned as one to the wall and started running towards it. It was protocol that was ingrained in their minds. Protect the wall. No matter the cost. Just as they reached the training grounds they were met by four people. Most of the soldiers knew or knew of three of them. The first was Ash, the child of the first line who was raised by the army. A pleasant girl with a short fuse and a strong punch. The second was Lord Sesshoumaru of the west who was supporting Ash. Only the older soldiers have ever seen him before, as he'd only been to the angel city once many, many years ago. The third was none other than Ember herself, ex-mate to Sesshoumaru, head of the first line, Ash's mother, and the most violent being they've ever met. She was the only one who got away with insulting the king or queen. It was a well known fact that the only one she hated more than the king and queen was her own daughter.

In Ember's arms was the only one none of them recognised. Though his hair was blonde it was easy enough to tell that we was an angel of the fourteenth line. He was badly injured. His wings were tattered and broken and he was covered in blood and burns. One of his arms was missing. "I need Nikko!" Ember was screaming. "I need him now!"

The soldiers were shocked. No one had ever seen Ember less than her normal calm self. But now she was covered in tears and blood and she was hysterical. Ash was barely conscious in Sesshoumaru's arms, she too was bleeding.

The head of the fourteenth line, Nikko, was a gray-haired, wiry angel with a look in his eyes that told everyone that he was wise and skillful in everything he did. They met halfway to his home and Ember started to explain everything. "I was an explosion. He took the full hit. He created a barrier around himself and Naraku's puppet to protect the rest of us. Please, you have to help him."

"Give him here," Nikko said, almost ripping the door off the wall as he pulled it open. "Ladies, take care of Ash."

Three women stepped up and took Ash from Sesshoumaru as Ember laid Karu on Nikko's table. "Step back, Ember." Nikko pushed her aside and formed a ball of green energy around his left hand.

Ember covered her mouth and stepped back into Sesshoumaru who put his hands on her shoulders. "Mika," Nikko snapped and one of the women rushed from Ash to Karu to help. "He's lost too much blood as it is. Try to get his wings in order while I get this damn arm to stop bleeding."

"Please help him..." Ember whispered. "Please, Nikko, you're the only one."

Ember's eyes were as wide as a full moon as she watched Karu's blood drip from the table to the floor. Nikko's demands were getting more and more frantic and more and more angels were joining him at the table. Unable to watch any longer Ember turned and buried her face into Sesshoumaru's chest. She was shaking as he led her out of the room. "Ember, Sesshoumaru," it was Arailia. She pushed through the group of soldiers to get to them. "What the hell happened?"

Sesshoumaru glanced down at Ember. She was shaking uncontrollably. There was no way she was going to talk to anyone right now. "The half-breed named Naraku had Ash. But it was all a trap for Ember. He has the ability to absorb beings and take in their powers. Ember is the most powerful angel in centuries, she would make him considerably more powerful. However he is also after certain members of the angel community. You, for example, Arailia. He wants your bloodline. With you in his clutches he controls the angels. He can make them fight for him."

"So he poses a threat to our kind." Arailia said carefully.

Sesshoumaru fixed her with a hard stare. "It would be foolish for the angels to leave the city. Naraku is far more powerful than you think. If you want any kind of proof think about how much trouble Nikko is having with that boy's injuries."

Ember pulled away from Sesshoumaru and wiped her eyes. "It was a trap," she sniffed. "He was using one of his puppets. But that puppet was supposed to cause a massive explosion that could wipe out all life for a mile."

**Ember dodged yet another swipe from one of Naraku's tentacles. She was bleeding... badly. But not as badly as Ash. She'd foolishly jumped into the battle without giving herself time to heal. She was now hanging limply close to Naraku's body. Ember had to find a way to get in there and save her. Just she was thinking it Sesshoumaru swiped through Ash's bonds and caught her seconds before she hit the ground and coming back to stand beside Ember. "Told you not to get in my way." She snapped.**

"**I'm not letting you let her die." He snapped back.**

"**I'm the only one who kills her. When she's old enough to understand and put up a good fight. Do you really want to listen to my reasoning right now?"**

**Suddenly more of Naraku's appendages erupted from the ground and wrapped themselves around Ember's leg. She took off but was quickly brought back to be slammed into the ground. She rolled to her back and slashed at the flesh with the white hot fire she used as a weapon. His flesh bubbled and turned black as the white fire touched it. It was the hottest fire she could summon and sustain for long periods of time. So far nothing could withstand it. She rolled back over and launched herself towards Naraku only to be knocked back into Sesshoumaru by an awesome blow from Naraku's own fist. The three stumbled back into a net of tentacles which wrapped around their necks, waist, ankles and wrists.**

**Sesshoumaru snarled and his eyes turned blood red. This time Ember knew he was about to transform into the terrifying fifty foot beast that was his true form. The fur around his shoulder began to ripple violently. "Not so fast, My Lord." Naraku said slowly, stepping up to them. "Attack me or not it is your choice, but perhaps you would like to hear what will happen if you do." Sesshoumaru's eyes did not change and he was still snarling, but the fur stopped rippling. Naraku had his attention. The red eyed man smirked. "As you have come across them before, Sesshoumaru, you would not be surprised to hear that this is not in fact myself, but a puppet. A puppet of which that is so deadly that any life within a mile in any direction will perish in only a few more moments."**

"**You won't kill me," Ember snarled. "You need me."**

"**No," Naraku smirked and reached out for her neck. "I need this."**

**Naraku's hand closed around the silver necklace and he ripped it off her neck. Ember started struggling but it only got her more tangled in the snare. Naraku's smirk widened as the necklace morphed into his skin and blasted out again, rocketing out of sight before any of them could realize what he was doing. But it became clear to Ember soon after. He was getting the necklace to safety to avoid the explosion or whatever he was planning. Now a crazy look began to glimmer in his eyes and he stepped closer to Ember. "I'm going to look into your eyes while you die. And I'm going to relish in it."**

**Ember's eyes widened. A pale green light had formed around Naraku. "No!" she screamed. "Karu!"**

**Naraku turned to face the young boy with green eyes and blonde hair. He looked terrified. Ember struggled even harder but it didn't help. "What do you think you're doing, boy? No barrier can hold me."**

"**My barrier is as strong as my will to protect the people I care about!" he said shakily.**

"**Karu!" Ember screamed. "Don't, please. Don't put yourself in danger! It's not worth it! Any second he's going to destroy everything! Just save your..."**

**Her words got lost in her throat when Karu reached out with his other hand. A second green light began to flicker around himself. **_**He's saving himself!**_** Ember thought. It was a desperate though when she saw what happened next. A light, as bright as a thousand suns erupted from the puppet before her. Her scream was lost in the sound of the explosion.**

**While in reality the explosion only took a few seconds to Ember it felt like years were passing her by in slow motion and when it was over she felt exhausted. Like there was nothing left for her in this world. The bonds holding her crumbled to ash and she stumbled forward to fall at Karu's limp body. He was still breathing. Barely. One of his arms was missing. "This is not over!" she shrieked before picking Karu up in her arms and storming to Ash.**

**She took hold of Ash's pendant and blasted the last of her power through it. The four of them were surrounded by a red light and the next thing they knew they were in the angel city.**

Arailia felt her knees go week as Ember turned back to Sesshoumaru's chest. "I told him not to come, I told him it would be too dangerous."

Sesshoumaru wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close but she pushed away. "I need time to think and Nikko needs his space to work. I'll take you back Sesshoumaru. Arailia, I'll be back in the morning to talk to you."

Arailia nodded. She reached for her own necklace but then saw that Ash's was still clutched in her hand. Instead she glanced up at Sesshoumaru was gazing down at Ember's quivering body. "Take care of her." she whispered and turned away.

Sesshoumaru blinked and they were gone. They were back in the village where her father and grandfather lived and died. Vaguely he wondered why she always came back here. But his focus was drawn back to Ember when she sank to the ground staring blankly into space. "I'm tired." She whispered. "I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth it anymore."

"What's worth it?"

"Going on. Living." She glanced blankly up at him. "Everyone around me keeps dying. It's like a curse. Anyone who gets close should start thinking about what goes on their tombstone. Karu was the second child. It only makes it harder."

Sesshoumaru didn't need to ask who the first child was. He knew she meant their own son. He looked up at the sky and a drop of water fell on his forehead. The rain came fast and furious after that and in seconds they were drenched. Ember made no attempt to move. Sighing Sesshoumaru bent down, took her elbow and pulled her up. "Let's get inside."

She didn't speak. She didn't resist. When they were inside she whispered very softly. He recognised her voice. It was the way she used to speak when she was a slave. "Do you ever wonder what would have happened if I never found out I was an angel? What would have happened if we never were together?"

"I don't need to." he said softly. "You would have had a child of the line. I would have continued living in the castle. You family would have endured. That's what would have happened."

"Do you ever think it would have been better that way?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at her. She was looking up at her with a desperate plea in her eyes. A part of his younger self rose within him and he remembered how he used to feel urges. He controlled those urges in the public eye but in the privacy of their rooms he would cling to her and kiss her like she was a magnet. Over the years he thought these urges had faded away. He knew now that that wasn't the case. He merely forgot about them. But not anymore.

Sesshoumaru cupped her chin and lifted her face to meet his. He kissed her. Her mind, already blank, responded. She kissed back. Her arms found their way around his neck and his arm wrapped around her waist. From that moment the memories ended, yet seemed to explode in their minds. They were rougher. Sesshoumaru slammed her against the wall and Ember began to bite at his bottom lip. She ripped his kimono open and wrapped her legs around her waist. Sesshoumaru's lips left hers to explore downwards. All the way down he was growling slightly, almost purring until he reached the mating mark. He remembered his first night with her. It was her first time. She had been nervous. Her hands had trembled when she'd run them through his hair. Now she was always desperately trying to pull him closer to give her the pleasure and closeness her recent loss forced her to desire. And now, like always, he wanted to give her the most pleasure he possibly could. Almost like in slow motion he opened his mouth and bit down on the mark and let the pleasure course through her body and thrash against his own.

Sometime after Ember lay asleep covered by his own fur around his shoulder. Her neck was red but healing from the bites. There were scratches on both their backs healing as well. Her body was still trembling slightly. He knew he had to enjoy this moment of closeness. Ember would be gone the next morning before he got up. He didn't need to love her to know that. Odd... he always thought he hated Ember for leaving him. For doing what she did to him. It seemed strange that after two hundred years he still came to the same conclusion. He still loved her.


	8. Chapter 8

Ember woke up covered by Sesshoumaru's fur and his arm around her waist. She lay still for a moment trying to adjust to the feeling. It was familiar, warm, comforting... but she couldn't get comfortable. She was sore from the previous night's (and morning's) actions yet for the first time in two hundred years she was satisfied. Through her sensitive back she was able to feel Sesshoumaru's familiar touch. He was stronger than he used to be, especially the muscles on his right arm. Well, after losing the left one he had to have compensated somehow. For a moment she felt like she did when she was nineteen. Loved. Complete. Happy.

But only for a moment.

Slowly Ember sat up and got out from under the fur and reached for her dress. "You always were an early riser." Sesshoumaru said behind her.

She didn't answer. She pulled the dress straight and reached knelt down to pick up she'd dropped the previous night. "My mother said I was born with the sun," She said. "And that's why I rise with it every day."

"Indeed." He sighed. "I remember that day. It was the first day your mother did not serve tea to me and my father. She was back the next day. My father almost locked her in the servants' quarters to make sure she didn't strain herself. He kept telling her that you needed a mother."

Ember headed for the door but Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm. She didn't look at him. She let her red hair fall in front of her face. "Last night shouldn't have happened." She whispered.

"Why?" he hissed sharply. "Didn't it feel good?"

"Why do men always assume that just because it felt good it makes it any better?" she snapped, tears forming in her eyes. "I can't look at you without seeing him. I wasn't even allowed to see him."

"Why are you so angry? You left me. Not the other way around."

"You left me long before I left you." She whipped around to face him. "I begged for you every day. I failed. I wasn't strong enough to bear your child. I didn't need anyone to tell me that. I needed _you_ to tell me that it wasn't my fault. But you weren't there. And by the time you were I was already gone."

"I lost him too!" Sesshoumaru yelled. "Did you ever think for one second that I did not feel guilty for not being there for you? I could have kept you safe from any enemy in the country. We've condemned Adamar from ever claiming his father's lands for heaven's sake. But I couldn't protect you from the very thing growing within you. The very thing we were creating together was destroying you. Don't you think I feel just as guilty as you do for the loss of our son?"

Ember pulled away but he didn't let her go. Tears were pouring down her face now. "Two hundred years, Sesshoumaru. I have gone through two hundred years trying to deal. Every night I have to relive those nightmares. Every morning I take a knife to my throat. But your damn mark keeps me from doing that. Any action that involves hurting myself the mark stops me and I hear your voice in my head. Yours and about a hundred others telling me over and over that I've failed at everything from bringing a child into the world to taking my own life. Now if you think I give a damn whether you feel guilty or not any more then you never knew me to begin with."

His grip loosened and she slipped out of his grip. Before anything else could be said Ember let her power slip through Ash's necklace and she vanished. She appeared in front of the temple but she didn't move for a while. She stared up at the white marble building for a while. She hated the temple. But maybe the center of the angel world was what she needed right now. It was literally the furthest she could get away from her old life.

She took the steps slowly as if in a daze. Inside the temple Arailia and Shadow stood at the end where they could stare at the stars on cold nights. Arailia was twitchy. Shadow was stock still. Before them was Nikko and a heavily bandaged Ash. Arailia saw her first. "Ember," she sighed.

Nikko and Ash turned. Ember strode forward to take Nikko's hands in her own. "My Lord," she whispered. "How is Karu, Nikko?"

"He suffered great injuries, Ember." He said sadly. "There's no hope to repair his arm and he has one foot in the afterlife. I'm sorry. But it looks like he's not going to make it."

She nodded and he excused himself. No one spoke until he was gone. Ash was the first. "Ember, I am so sorry about Karu, I didn't..."

"Don't." Ember snapped. Any concern and tenderness she showed towards Nikko was gone. She turned to Shadow. "I want to speak to Twilla."

A sort of tremor went through the temple. It was a part of the magic within the building. Any head of the line has absolute power in the temple. Their orders were always followed. And ten minutes later Twilla walked into the temple. She looked frightened. As she should. Heads of the lines had absolute power. Depending on the situation even Arailia didn't have a say in what happened. And that was what Ember was counting on. "Twilla, do you remember what I said to you when you volunteered to raise Ash?"

Twilla swallowed hard and looked up at her brother. He nodded slightly. Twilla was nervous when she spoke. Her voice trembled. "Ash was not my responsibility. She was yours to..."

"Don't give me that." Ember snapped. "I didn't ask you to take care of her. You volunteered freely now remind us all what I said that day!"

"You said she doesn't leave the city. That no matter what she stays here. That you would be the one to take her out to the real world when she was old enough to take your place as head of the line."

"Good. But you were the one who encouraged her to follow me outside the city."

Twilla didn't answer. She kept glancing up at Shadow for reassurance. Shadow was not watching Ember with his eyes narrowed. Despite her title and her fury Ember had no command over anyone in another line. So what she was doing now was either to humiliate Twilla, or make her feel guilty for what she was going to do to Ash. Ember had wandered over to the walls of the temple where ancient text covered parts of it.

"You need to know that what I am about to do is your fault, Twilla." Ember hissed as she found a blank spot in the wall.

Arailia realised what she was doing first. She stepped forward but it was too late. Ember dug her fingers into the wall. A blast flame erupted into the wall and filled the room. Two blue lines of flame ran from her hand, along the floor and encircled Ash. Chains blasted through the marble floor, wrapped themselves around Ash's wrists and pulled her to her knees. "Ember, no!" Arailia shouted but it was much too late.

Ember walked up to Ash. "You knew the consequences of leaving the city. You left anyway. You've been lucky that Sesshoumaru was around to save you last time. And you're lucky I'm not going to kill you now."

"What are you doing?" Ash screamed.

"You left the city. Such actions that led to your capture by Naraku. Which led to the inevitability that someone would have to save you from him. Had I known Arailia had gone to Sesshoumaru I never would have come. This is her fault as well. But ultimately this is the result of your leaving the city when I always told you not to. Karu's blood is on your hands." She raised her voice so that it echoed against the walls. The fire seemed to reverberate along with her voice. "Ash, heir to the first line, in the inevitability of Karu's death you will never see outside the angel city."

Through the bright red fire white symbols appeared. At the same time the same symbols began to burn through Ash's skin. She screamed out in pain. Ember's words, though no louder than before, were heard above her cries. "And if Karu is to die you will never receive your inheritance and you will never be the head of the line." Ember's eyes narrowed. "On the slight chance that Karu may live you may see the outside world again. But only if Karu permits it for if he survives you will give your life to him. You will serve him. You will do what he wants when he wants it. And perhaps... _perhaps_ you will see your inheritance and you will become the head of the line." Ember went back to the part of the wall where the ritual all started and placed her hand back on the red hot wall. "In the name of the first line it was said, written and obeyed. If not, may she be put to death."

In a second the fire had disappeared and the temple was no longer filled with fire. The symbols remained on the wall but disappeared from Ash's skin. The chains turned to dust but left rising bruises on her arms. Ember didn't say a word. She didn't look at any of them. She walked out of the room and was halfway to the old training grounds when Arailia finally caught up with her. "That was unnecessary and harsh, even for you." She snapped.

"I did what I had to do, Arailia, I don't expect you to understand."

"If Naraku is such a threat to the angels you should have told us. The army is prepared for this."

"No their not!" Ember spun around to face her. "Your army isn't near prepared for this. You think war is like what the scribes provide for you? Glorious and triumphant where you send your enemies back to their lands with their tails between their legs? It's nothing like that. It never has been! Fifty years ago I got a summons from Sesshoumaru. To fight a tribe of panther youkais his father defeated long ago. I was summoned to defend the western lands as the lady of the western lands. I read the scribe's version of the battle and I burned it when I was done. I didn't fight. I didn't get there in time. But I saw the final battle between Sesshoumaru and Louyakan. There wasn't a great divide between them. Sesshoumaru wasn't standing on grass sparkling in the morning dew and Louyakan wasn't standing on dried decayed land. Our grass is no greener than theirs. They were both standing among their dead on the blood soaked ground. There was no glory. There were no trumpets that day."

Ember glanced around at the soldiers who were pretending not to listen and she sighed. "Naraku wants you to think that you can stop him. He wants you to lead the army against him. It's the only way he can get all the angels at the same time. We are his ultimate power boost. He absorbs the power of his enemies. He wants Angels. Specifically those of the first and fifteenth lines. The angels of the first line are strongest. Those of the fifteenth have greater powers still if they are lucky enough to inherit them. He's smart. It's why he wants you to think he's weaker than he is. Everything I've done I've done to protect the line. And that includes not explaining to you and Shadow why it's important that you all stay here until he's been dealt with."

"By you? What makes you think you can stop him?"

"I don't plan to stop him. I never said I was that stupid. I just plan on doing what I've been doing all my life. I'm going to survive." She glanced back at the soldiers and lowered her voice. "I would suggest you start listening to Shadow. We're not in war anymore but the world out there is just as dangerous. You remember what I looked like when I escaped Naraku. You see how badly injured Ash was and how Keru is doing. Take his advice and stay here. Stay hidden. Stay safe."

Arailia shifted uncomfortably and bit her tongue. "You just called him Keru." She whispered so quietly Ember could barely hear her.

Ember didn't reply. She turned away from the city and vanished. She landed hard in knee deep water and she stumbled in the current and mossy rocks. Someone reached out and took her elbow to help her but her natural defence habit forced her to take the mystery wrist and twist it until she flipped the man onto his back in the water and jump away onto the opposite bank. The man who'd touched her was dressed in a purple robe. On the other side of the river was a girl dressed in taijiya armour and carrying a giant boomerang and had a kitten on her shoulder. Behind her was another girl in odd clothes with a kitsune youkai pup on her shoulder and beside her was someone she hadn't seen in fifty years. "Inu Yasha?" she blinked.

"Ember?" the half demon let go of the sword at his side. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She chuckled. "The last time I saw you Kikyo was pointing an arrow at your chest."

"Heh, yeah, I remember. You were helping Kikyo at the time purifying the village. Hoping to make it a real permanent home for the jewel."

"Yes. Kikyo was wise to have it burned with her. But she was an idiot to think that that would destroy it. I know it will return. It's just a matter of when."

"It's already back. In pieces yes, but back nonetheless. A half demon named Naraku is hunting them."

"Ah... Yes, I know him. He has been hunting the angels lately. He seems to be rather power hungry if you ask me." Ember looked at the man she'd flipped into the water. "Sorry about trying to drown you. I don't like to be touched."

"Usually I have to tell him to keep his hands off other women." The taijiya smirked.

The monk mumbled something, slipped on a rock and landed back in the water. Inu Yasha laughed. "Right, that's Miroku and this is Sango, her partner Kirara, Kagome and Shippou. Guys, this is an old friend of mine. Her name is Ember."

"He means I used to babysit him." Ember smirked. "I'm close to the family."

"Yes." Inu Yasha rolled his eyes. "Close. Let's call it that as there's only one member of my family left. And you two haven't been too close lately."

Ember sighed. "Can we talk? I know meeting up has been an accident but since we're here do you mind?"

"Sure."

The two walked for a while before Ember started talking. "I've lost my way, Inu Yasha. I have no one to go to. The last time I was lost I went to your mother. She was there for me. She was the only one who really knew what it was like to be in love with a youkai lord. And what it's like to never be able to love him again."

"What happened to you?"

"A boy I was training got caught in the crossfire between me and Naraku. He saved my life but in turn gave his own. I had to use an ancient law against my own daughter to keep her safe from Naraku but everyone looks at me as if I'm doing this deliberately to keep the angels in the dark and out of our world. They don't understand how dangerous it can be. Everything is falling apart and I have an entire culture relying on my to save them... even if they don't realize it."

"Have you seen Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes... More so recently. It seems that Naraku has brought us together again." She glanced down at the sword as his side. "I see you've inherited Tessaiga from your father."

"You know it?"

"As well as I knew your father. I was still human when he returned with it newly made. He made it so he could protect you and Izayoi. Even so I always thought Sesshoumaru would inherit it."

"How come?"

"_Have you someone to protect._" She smiled slightly. "They were the last words your father said to Sesshoumaru. _Have you someone to protect._ At the time he had me. But it was like Inu Taisho knew that I wasn't going to stay forever. It was like he knew that something was going to happen. Or maybe it was something completely different. I don't know. Maybe he really was just planning your future. So tell me, were you the one who cut off Sesshoumaru's arm?"

Inu Yasha let out a bark like laugh. "You're damn right I did!"

Ember laughed with him a little. Inu Yasha could see the distress on her face. She seemed as stressed as he was. for the last year he'd been fighting and fighting and it was all leading up to the moment in the next little while. The final battle was inevitably going to come. She needed to save her people. He needed to regain the shards of the jewel and protect Kagome and the others. Having the most powerful angel in thousands of years would be helpful. "Hey, why don't you travel with me and the others for a while?" he asked. "You look like you could use some good company."

Ember looked up at him. "I would like that." She smiled and they headed back to the others.

Miroku was out of the river by then and for the most part dry. The fox pup was laughing at him but they were all surprised when Inu Yasha had offered the invitation for her to travel with them. "It's usually us who has to do the inviting." Kagome said.

"Ah shut up." Inu Yasha grumbled. "She's an old friend."

"So you've said." Kagome raised an eyebrow.

Ember narrowed her eyes. This girl in odd clothing looked familiar. Almost like she were a shadow of someone she knew. "Who are you?" She asked. "I thought Kikyo was dead."

"Kagome is her reincarnation from another time." Inu Yasha explained.

"Bound to this place by the jewel. I see." She looked at Miroku, Sango and Shippou. "So what are your stories?"

They began to walk as they explained their stories. The whole time Ember could feel Inu Yasha's eyes on her. She tried to ignore him but it wasn't that easy. She knew him too well and he knew her just as well. She knew that he was going to ask her about Sesshoumaru again. She just wasn't sure what she was going to say when he did.


	9. Chapter 9

Sesshoumaru looked up at the castle he'd lived for almost his whole life. Where he was born and raised with his mother and father. It was a very political life. By the time he was five his parents were sleeping in different rooms. He had private lessons with them both but it was a long time before Inu Taisho and Inu Kimi could spend a long period of time in the same room without attacking each other. Yet when they were alone Inu Taisho could sometimes only talk about what a magnificent creature his mother was and Inu Kimi went on about how great of a lord he was. His parents were fools. Especially his father. His love for a mere human killed him. And Inu Kimi's resentment drove her to abandon her post, something she would never have done under normal circumstances.

After his father's death and his mother's disappearance the castle became his own. He lived there with Ember for nine months. After they lost Keru they were nothing. She was right. He wasn't there for her when she needed him most. He could barely remember those few weeks after Keru's birth and death. He could only remember finally going down to the infirmary to find her gone. No one knew where she'd gone.

_Have you someone to protect, my son?_

The sudden rage was overwhelming. The power coursing through him was almost unbearable and he felt like doing nothing more than transforming and tearing the building apart. "Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Two voices called from behind and he forced himself to calm down. Jaken and Rin ran up to him with Ah-Un thundering behind. Suddenly Jaken gasped. "Lord Sesshoumaru, look!"

Sesshoumaru turned to Jaken pulling out the green crystals the demon Gakusanjin gave them. They were turning from green to a paler green. "The Fuyoheki, Naraku's heart, must be nearby!"

Sesshoumaru turned north and started walking. He wanted nothing more than a fight. And if it obliterated Naraku at the same time then so be it. His new found rage fueled him to follow the crystals when their power began to diminish and it took them three days to find him. The demon was giant and earthy green in colour. On his left shoulder there were some sort of spikes protruding from his skin and his left arm was deformed in an extension that only meant he could be some monstrous creation of Naraku's. When he looked down at Sesshoumaru his mouth formed the same smirk Naraku always had plastered on his face. "You're Inu Yasha's brother, aren't you?"

This question only fueled Sesshoumaru's new found anger like gas on an open fire. "I have never considered that lowly half-breed to be my brother." He said calmly and lifted his sword to his chest. "But, the fact that you know even that much tells me that you are Naraku's heart, are you not?"

The smirk fell from the youkai's face. "Sesshoumaru, you'll regret that. Wielding your sword before greeting me."

"That I doubt. But you will regret uttering Inu Yasha's name in my presence. That much I promise you."

Sesshoumaru leapt at him and swung his blade down at the demon's head. The demon lifted one arm and took the full blow of the tokijin. It didn't even make a scratch. Sesshoumaru jumped back and attacked again to the same result. When he stepped back for a second time he swung tokijin and let loose a blast of power hurtling at the monster. The ball of energy hit him but only absorbed into his body. He did it again before stopping before the monster for a moment. He chuckled and his body pulsed with power. "I suppose I can't let you have all the fun."

Small pulses of energy circled around the demon for a moment before flinging themselves at Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru dodged everyone before countering the next set with his own demonic attack. Without letting the dust clear from the impact he leapt forward and landed a powerful strike on the demon's left shoulder. With the force of the impact Sesshoumaru saw Tokjin crack. "It won't work, Sesshoumaru," the youkai laughed. "I shall absorb your demonic energy. There's no sense prolonging this any further."

The demon's left arm manipulated in to tentacles that wrapped around Sesshoumaru's limbs and lifted him off the demon. Sesshoumaru glared down at the demon just as a blood soaked flower petal floated past him in the wind. "That scent..." he whispered as he sniffed it.

It was Kagura's blood. The demon chuckled. "So that useless woman died. First she betrayed Naraku, and then me, all to get her freedom. And when she finally gets it, what does she do? She dies and dies in vain at that."

Anger. White hot anger that surpassed his fury with his parents and Ember flared inside of him. He didn't know where his anger was coming from and he didn't care. He'd never wanted to kill so badly in his life. He wanted tear out this demon's throat for saying that Kagura would die in vain. He felt the Tenseiga pulse at his side and it seemed to fuel his strength. "Silence." He snapped and cut through his bonds.

He put all of his fury and strength into striking the same spot on the demon's shoulder. This time the tokijin cut through. And the demon's shield cracked. A green light, the demonic energy he had stolen, blasted through the crack and seeped from the rest of his body. "The demonic energy that I absorbed..!"

"The demonic energy that you absorbed could never be contained in that pitiful vessel you call a body!" Sesshoumaru snapped. "Now take this; Soryuha!"

Sesshoumaru's signature attack, the lightning in the form of a dragon, blasted from the swords hilt and into the so called impenetrable shield and the demon shouted in pain. It was working... but after a second the great tokijin couldn't handle the strain and the blade snapped in two. Sesshoumaru jumped back in case of a retaliation attack but the demon snarled; "This isn't over. I will be back for you!" and disappeared in a cloud of miasma.

Sesshoumaru tossed the remains of his sword aside as Jaken and Rin ran up to his side. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin cried.

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Jaken called.

Sesshoumaru ignored them and took off, flying towards Kagura's scent. "You're not going to leave your sword, are you?" he heard Rin call behind him.

"I have no attachment to a broken sword. I will find a replacement."

He had to get to Kagura. To see if she were truly dead. He found her in an open field of flowers. She looked so sad it was almost heartbreaking. "Y-you came?" she whispered.

"I followed the scent of blood and miasma." Sesshoumaru said.

Kagura sighed sadly. "I see..." she said in the soft remains of her voice. "You thought I was Naraku." She hunched over in pain. "Disappointed that it's not him?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes softly. "No... I knew it was you." He saw her lips form a smile as he said those words. He reached for tenseiga but even as he did she was deteriorating in front of him. _Even tenseiga can't save her now._ He thought. "Are you leaving?" he asked.

"Yes..." her voice was so soft now it was hardly a breath on the wind. "I've had enough."

And she dissolved into nothing but ash and feathers. Her remains flew away with the wind. A deepening sadness filled him. She was one with the wind now. All she wanted was to be free. Not death. Sesshoumaru knew that she had harboured a love for him. Among that was that he almost felt like he could love her back. He was hung up on the love of Ember and the death of his child. Two hundred years of wondering when he would finally have her back only got people killed. It never affected him until this moment. Kagura... the woman he could have loved if were only smart enough to let go. They all would have been happy. The mark Ember's neck would have faded to nothing and she would have no longer been bound to the western lands, to the angel city... to him.

He could have saved her, just like he could have saved Ember from the bitterness and sadness all those years ago. He could have saved hundreds of lives if he'd only been the lord he was supposed to be and accept the responsibility. He could have saved so many lives but all he ever did was ignore them and concentrate on his own personal gain. In her last few moments, even now, all he wanted to do was to fix her. His belief was that the Tenseiga was a worthless blade in his hands. But now he wasn't so sure.

It was hard for him to take a step into the blood-soaked flowers and walk away from where Kagura died. The sound of the wind, the scent of her blood, the anger coursing through his veins... it was all too much for him right now. So when Rin and Jaken finally caught up to him and they asked _where are we going_ all he could answer with was; "Somewhere quiet."

Ember spent three days into the company of Inu Yasha and his friends in the village. Kagome had gone back to her own time for some kind of exam thing that she always started panicking about when someone mentioned it. She spent a lot of the time walking around the village and talking to Inu Yasha. It was how they used to spend their days before he fell in love with Kikyo and was pinned to the tree for fifty years. On the third day they were sitting on a hill above the village talking about just that. "Everything was so much simpler then," Ember was saying as she absentmindedly ripped apart a fallen leaf. "I was still tied to this land but I wasn't plagued by these worries. Naraku is planning something with the angels and Arailia isn't listening. I'm worried that any second she's going to allow the angels to roam these lands like they once did. And when they do... they're as good as dead... All of them."

"No one will listen to you?"

"Only Shadow but he's hardly a figurehead. He's there to give Arailia a chance of continuing the fifteenth line. He has no control. He can only whisper like a little bird and pray that his chirps will be heard."

"What if they hear it from someone from the outside? Someone who knows how dangerous it is."

"Outsiders aren't strictly allowed in the angel city. The only reason your brother was allowed in was because of a couple accidents that were swept under the table. And they're still very far in the past. The idea of half demons walking around freely doesn't go over well with them. The idea of one stepping inside the city... no offence."

"I'm used to it." Inu Yasha waved it aside. The best Ember had ever seen him take it.

"If there was a safe way to show them how dangerous this world really is I would. But I can't. I have to find a way to kill Naraku and ensure the safety of my people before I can even think of letting them be free in this world." Inu Yasha looked down at his hands. He was twitching nervously, as if stealing himself to say the next thing on his mind. Ember rolled her eyes. "Say what's on your mind."

"What about..." he stopped. He sniffed the air. "Kagura..." he whispered.

Ember didn't hear him. Her eyes widened in horror. Hundreds of feet in the air was the subtle outline of an enormous inu youkai. They both jumped up. "Run." Ember said in a hushed tone.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Inu Yasha asked.

"No. I have someone to talk to before I see you again. And it just so happens that if she catches your scent she'll kill you. So I'd get going now."

The two blood red wings exploded from Ember's back and she took off. Her wings flapped harder and faster, flying straight up towards her. Inu Kimi. The woman who had been Ember's protector up until the moment Inu Taisho chose a human over her. Which ultimately ended in Inu Kimi turning her back on everything she hated and everything she loved. Or at least that's what Ember had made herself believe at the time. Now she knew better. Now she knew that it was just because Inu Kimi needed an out. And Izayoi was it.

The great inu youkai finally caught Ember's scent and stopped to look down at her. Ember had forgotten how huge she was. She'd even gotten bigger in the last two hundred years. Well, she was an elder youkai now. The two now looked face to face. The giant dog slowly shrank and Inu Kimi's regal form stood in front of Ember. "So you're still alive." Inu Kimi said in a soft, deadly tone.

"Yes. And better off now than I was when you abandoned me because of a grudge." Ember snapped.

"Where is my son?" Kimi ignored Ember's words. "Last time we met you were near dead believing in that ridiculous theory. Where's your other half now, sweet one."

"He's gone." Ember hissed. "We're not together anymore."

Kimi smirked and her golden eyes flashed dangerously. "I warned you, didn't I?" he chuckled darkly. "What happened? Did you get tired of him neglecting you? When you woke up alone, went to bed alone and drank alone did you finally realise that a lord's love isn't worth anything? When did the other women stop being enough company for you? When did you seek comfort in another man only to find that he couldn't touch you because of that mark on your neck?"

"Shut up, damn it, it wasn't any of that!" Ember shouted over Kimi's monotonous and deathly calm voice. "What happened between Sesshoumaru and me is between Sesshoumaru and me. I'm not here about your son anyway. There are questions I need answered."

"Of course you do." Kimi sighed dramatically. "You were always full of questions. You were always smart enough to keep your mouth shut, even when you were allowed to start asking them. I guess now you're more comfortable with your role as the lady of the western lands."

"No. Not comfortable. Just bitter."

Kimi nodded slowly and looked into Ember's eyes for a long time before saying; "Follow me."

The fluidity of Inu Kimi's transformation was amazing. One second she was a beautiful woman and the second she had turned her back she was the majestic dog she was famous for. Ember followed a safe distance away. She wouldn't put it past Kimi to turn on her and crush her in her powerful jaws. Inu Kimi's castle was like a dream. It was hidden among the clouds above the western lands. Guards of other inu youkais stood along stairs up to her throne. Ember knew she was the guardian of the underworld. But she never imagined her inherited palace would be so... airy.

In her human form Kimi sprawled out on her couch like throne. "So ask your questions, Ember. Oh, sorry, it's lady Ember, isn't it?"

"I'm not fussy on titles." Ember said with a small smirk.

Kimi's lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. This was why Ember had smirked. She knew that this would annoy Kimi to all ends. From the day Ember could understand what was being told to her she was always pressed on how important titles were. Everyone had a title. Sir, Ma'am, My Lord, My Lady, your highness, your majesty, etcetera. For a slave to forget a title would be catastrophic and possibly fatal, but for a someone with a title it would be more of a slap to the wrist to them. Ember could tell that Kimi was having an internal battle of whether she should punish Ember or not.

Evidently she decided against it and focused on the matters at hand. "So what have you to ask, Ember?"

Ember pulled her ruby hair from her neck to show the mating mark. "How do I get rid of this?"

"You don't." Kimi answered simply. "Until Sesshoumaru marks another woman that mark will forever be imprinted on your neck. Come closer, let me take a look."

Ember knelt down in front of Kimi so she could look at the mark. "How long has it been since you have been with my son?"

"Two hundred years."

Kimi fixed Ember with a dark look. "You were always a bad liar, Ember. If it had really been that long your mark would have faded to nothing. You have been with him recently."

Ember didn't blush. She had come a long way from that flustered little girl from her lave days. She knew how to stand on her own now. "So maybe I did. Does that make a difference."

Kimi leaned back. "We'll see." She said. She relaxed in her throne, her eyes soft again... but there was some kind of malicious look in her eyes that Ember didn't like. "What else do you want to know, Ember. I do have things I must attend to."

Ember shook her head and held up her hands. "Are you disappointed in how I turned out?"

"I don't see how I should feel anything on how you turned out. You should feel thankful for all the work I put into your training."

Ember snorted and turned away. Unbelievable. Feet away from the palace doors Kimi called out. "You've grown up. Two hundred years ago you would have lost your temper. You are going to make a good mother."

Ember froze. She turned back to Kimi who was walking away from her throne. "It's been four days! How can you tell?!"

"A mother knows, Ember. Kimi turned back for a moment. "Once you've seen your friends have their children you learn to recognise when a woman is pregnant."

"But... four days?"

"I could tell Karu was pregnant the night after she bedded with Miraz."

And with that she was gone into another room. Ember turned back to the exit and stepped out into open air. She fell, head first towards the earth. Everything seemed to go so slow and everything was falling in around her. This was not good. She hadn't intended on having children when she loved that demon but it happened but it happened months after the first night. And they went at each other like rabbits. This was one time.

Ember finally spread her wings and glided slowly down. She saw a lake and dove. She hit water and sank. The icy water hit her skin like a thousand needles. It cleared her thoughts. She was forced to accept it. For the third time in her life she was pregnant. And for the first time she didn't know how to feel.

The first time, with Keru, she was nervous, but excited. It was like a dream come true. She was about to start a family with the man she loved. The second time, with Ash, all she wanted was to get rid of it. She wanted nothing to do with the baby. If it weren't for Twilla Ash would not even be around. And now... she didn't know how to think. She wasn't sure if she wanted this child or anything to do with it.

Ember closed her eyes. Sesshoumaru. What was she supposed to tell him? Should she tell him? What would he want? After all she put him through would he want anything to do with the baby? Or would he choose that moment to decide that she wasn't worth his time? There was so much to think about. She didn't want to deal with it anymore.

"_How can you tell when it becomes clear between your duties as being a mother and being a Lady?" Ember asked, hugging her belly and looking at Karu playing with her newborn._

_Karu chuckled. "Easier than you think." She said. "It's harder when your child starts learning to be passed the torch. When they start spending more time around you, Sesshoumaru and the other lords it gets a little harder. I mean, look at Adamar and May. Sometimes I don't know if I should be treating them like children or like future lords and ladies."_

"_With any of your kids did you ever feel unsure?"_

_Karu looked down at Ember with a slightly shocked look. "Are you having second thoughts?"_

"_Of course not," Ember smiled. "But every so often I just feel... nervous. The future is so unclear."_

_Karu laughed again and pulled her son close. "Everyone has those moments." She said softly. "But always remember this; through hell or high water, no matter what happens, whether you or Sesshoumaru are truly together forever, you still have your children. Your children are your life-link. Unless you can say from the beginning that you don't want that baby, the two of you are connected. And until they do something stupid enough to lose your love," she gave Ember a knowing look before continuing. "They will always come first. Sesshoumaru isn't your first priority any more. He is going to be coming second place from now on. Mates can change... but your children are forever."_


	10. Chapter 10

Sesshoumaru breathed in the cool night air. It was quiet here. No memories of death and carnage. It was only a few miles from the border between his lands and the southern ones. There had always been peach between Him and Gorro. They both had very young wives considering their age. Ember and Kailo had gotten along very well when Karu wasn't around to help with the pregnancy. They were closer to each other, if not in age than in maturity and she and Karu. Because of the friendship between the south and west no battles have ever taken place here. It was the perfect place for Sesshoumaru to gather his thoughts. He'd felt something. Really felt for the first time in years. He was actually kind of upset about Kagura's death. And yet... a part of him was happy that she was now free. She was no longer in Naraku's clutches. She was the wind.

Behind him Sesshoumaru heard a sudden burst of flames. That meant one of two things; either Ember was behind him or, more likely Totosai. This was the last thing he needed. Totosai was much like Mioga, a pesky flea who didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. Occasionally Sesshoumaru listened to what he had to say. This time he wasn't sure if he was in the mood. But when Totosai's ridiculous steed landed the stunted old demon looked Sesshouumaru straight in the eye and said, "Sesshoumaru, it is time to re-forge the tenseiga."

Sesshoumaru's ear twitch. He didn't expect that of all things. He was used to being lectured about how great his father was and how he and Inu Yasha were living up to his expectations. What expectations did Inu Taisho have of the Tenseiga?

"Give me your sword."

Sesshoumaru pulled out the Tenseiga and handed it to Totosai without thinking much about it. He had no love for the blade. It had its uses but there was no real use for a blade that could not kill. To say he held onto the blade for sentimental reasons was a joke. But with slight interest in what Totosai had to do when it came to 're-forging' the Tenseiga. The squatted demon chose a large rock and blew fire onto the blade until it was white hot. Sesshoumaru could not explain what Totosai did to his sword but when he handed it back to him Sesshoumaru could feel the change in his blade. "Now strike down your opponent, Sesshoumaru."

The already darkened sky turned black. The demon lord turned around to face a giant ogre. The Tenseiga pulsed. Without a second thought, knowing it wouldn't work, Sesshoumaru lifted himself into the air and brought the newly forged blade down on the demon. It sliced through it but soon there was that shimmer that meant that its flesh was about to repair. But then a crescent shape suddenly opened behind the demon and its remains were sucked into nothingness. "Meido Zangetsuha." Totosai said softly. "The power of the tenseiga revealed. You have always known that you've inherited the power to defy nature. You can give life back to the dead. And now you can send your enemies straight to the underworld." Sesshoumaru took a long, hard look at his blade. He could feel the power. "As you grow stronger, Sesshoumaru the Meido will grow larger until it is a full circle."

"Why now?" he asked in spite of himself. "What's changed?"

"Your father told me that I was to re-forge the tenseiga when it called for me."

"What does that mean?"

"The Tenseiga has sensed a change in your heart. You have cared for another. And for the first time you have stopped your desire for your brother's sword, the Tessaiga."

Sesshoumaru felt something snap. Any calm serenity that had followed Kagura's death was gone. He glanced down at Jaken and indicated for him to take Rin for a walk. After they were out of human hearing range Sesshoumaru's claws lunged out and wrapped around Totosai's throat. "The last thing I said to my father was that Ember was the love of my life and that I would protect her. My father trusted you to deliver this sword to me so where the hell were you when my son died!" he was shouting now and Totosai was slowing turning blue. "I could have saved my child. My son's blood is on your hands!" He dropped the sword-smith and pointed the Tenseiga in his face. "I should kill you now."

Totosai didn't even blink. "Even when Ember was by your side you acted so human as you are now."

"I'm not a human." Sesshoumaru snarled.

"Thank the gods. Because if you were you wouldn't be able to make this right."

With surprising speed and agility the old smith slipped out from under the Tenseiga and took off. Sesshoumaru looked down at his blade. He didn't know what Totosai meant by making this right. If he thought that he was going to go crawling back to Ember now... well... he already did that. He closed his eyes and sheathed the blade. For now he had to focus on perfect this new technique. He needed a full Meido. Naraku wouldn't be able to escape that attack. He would have a one way ticket straight to hell. He needed to find out more about his inheritance. There was no one left to ask. No one but... Inu Kimi. His mother.

In reality the last person he wanted to see was his mother. Their relationship had been frayed from the beginning. But since she abandoned Ember with her duties of the western lady he had absolutely no desire to lay eyes on her. But there were answers that he needed. Answers that only one of two people could give him. And one of those two were dead.

Ember's head broke the surface of the dark waters and breathed in the cool, damp air. It was completely dark. Not a single flicker of light to be seen. Yet. The northern lands had many of these underground cave springs but what made them truly amazing was that when the moon hit the right spot on the outer pool the cave was illuminated from below with an eerie blue glow. These caves were called the mirror springs as they were lined with crystal so fine they reflected everything in the pool. It was a beautiful sight. But for now Ember wanted to see nothing. She needed to be away from everything.

The events of the last few hundred years haven't gone by quickly, but it wasn't like they crawled by. A great many things happened. Not including the unfortunate events with Ash. Onigumo had always been a threat in Ember's eyes. She'd met him when Kikyo was caring for his burns. The Priestess had brought Ember along one time to see what the mistress of fire had to say about his injuries. Ember had concluded that they might as well put him out of his misery. His burns could not be healed. Even if the skin was to be repaired he would always be in the pain. It would be merciful to give him the strongest pain serum Kikyo had and slit his throat. Ember had offered to do it for Kikyo as she had a kind soul and killed only youkai who approached her village threateningly.

Ember left Kikyo to her to heal Onigumo. But she always wished that she'd gone back to kill him. There was always something off about him and she could not understand it until the events that followed. But before Onigumo or Naraku there were others. There were the panther demons. In the south there were the cobra youakis and in the north the wolves stirred up a little trouble. There has always been enough trouble around the separate lands for Ember to pass the time with. That along with whatever was going on in the angel city. Even when Ember avoided Ash to all ends she was still enough trouble.

Ember opened her eyes just in time to see the moon begin to illuminate the cave. They said these caves gave the angels their powers in the beginning of the world. That even to this day if an angel returned to the springs they would feel their powers grow stronger than ever before. But like many other aspects of Embers life the discovery of these caves lead to nothing but disappointment. Now they were nothing but peaceful spots to think where no one could disturb her. And on the few occasions she finally got over her anger or frustration she could admire the beauty of the mirror caves.

But tonight she saw right through the glimmering beauty of the caves. She wanted to find peace within herself. She'd come here when she found out she was pregnant with Ash too. But Ember could not bring herself to love the child of the line. And she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to love this child who could end up exactly like Keru. She fixed her eyes on the reflection of her stomach. Soon enough she would be showing and the whole world would know the truth. And in nine months when the time finally came to birth the child... what would happen? Would she be too weak to bring this child into the world too?

As the light of the moon passed Ember was doused in darkness once again. She stroked to the edge of the cave, braced herself against the wall and dove to the bottom of the pool to get out. She reached the small opening and crawled through. She swam to the surface and reached the shore in a matter of seconds. She dressed without drying herself and started walking north in a brisk pace. She wanted to reach the Northern castle before daylight. Karu and Miraz were early risers. She didn't want anyone to know she was there except them. By the time Yuki would recognize the scent of his old babysitter she would be gone. And by the time Adamar and May figured it out she would be out of the northern lands.

The northern castle was covered in vines that covered the beautiful gray stone. In early spring, like now, the vines were covered in small pink buds that would soon turn into full blown flowers. But for now they were the scene of a romantic walk. Or a walk for a demon couple who finally reached the point beyond their prime and were satisfied with simply being in each other's company. It was rare to see a demon going old and gray, but Miraz and Karu were two of the lucky ones. Inu Kimi would be one of the lucky ones. Sesshoumaru would be one of the lucky ones.

They must have caught her scent because they turned to face her before she reached them to talk to them. Karu was still graceful and Miraz still regal. Karu had just reached out to hug her when everything seemed to overflow again and Ember burst into tears. She cried for twenty minutes before she finally calmed down and explained. As she hadn't seen them for over twenty years she told them about Ash, Naraku and her newly discovered pregnancy. She told them what happened to the boy Karu and how it led her into Sesshoumaru's arms again. She told them that she didn't know where Sesshoumaru fit in her life anymore or if she should even tell him that she was pregnant with his child.

As he was still held in high esteem for his complete honesty with the other Lords, Miraz took his queue to leave the women to speak. Karu instantly took Ember to the guest chambers so they could continue speaking in private. "So after Keru you still had a child of your line?" Karu asked and Ember nodded. "But I thought that spell was broken when you discovered you were an angel."

"So did we." Ember took a shuddering breath. "But it turns out having a child of the line is in my lines blood. It keeps the line going as long as there is one angel remaining."

"That's amazing." Karu whispered and Ember knew she couldn't help but be impressed. "No other demon has that kind of ability. It's an evolutionary trait singularly to your family."

"It truly is," Ember whispered. "Except when having that child is exactly what you don't want."

"Ember," Karu sighed. "Having a child, whether you want it or not, is a blessing. In some cases, its well disguised. I'm sure you'll realise that Ash has her own blessings one day."

"And what about this child?!" Ember cried, clutching her stomach. "It was an accident. I was upset, he was there, if it had been anyone else..."

"You would not have slept with them." Karu interrupted sternly. "First of all your mark prevents you from doing so. And second because you still love him." Ember looked up at her and Karu continued. "Ember, this child was destined to happen. This is your second chance with Sesshoumaru. The second chance you two have been waiting for. Of course this child cannot replace Keruko, no one can replace the son you lost. But this child..." Karu reached out and put a hand Ember's flat stomach. "This child can be the thing that brings you two back together. And you two will be one as you were meant to be."

Ember took hold of Karu's hand and held tightly. "How am I supposed to explain to him that after two hundred years, I want to love him again?"

"No one said it would be easy."

Ember began to tremble again and a few more tears fell from her eyes. Karu stayed with her until a servant came in and told Karu that Miraz had summoned her. Ember leaned against the headboard of the bed and pulled her knees up to her chin. Moments after Karu left Ember heard the door open again. She looked up. A tall figure stood in the door way. His hair black as night reflecting blue in the dim light. His eyes, black as coal. His face more serious than his youth remembered. The spitting image of his father in his younger days. Adamar.

She sat up not caring if he saw her cry. She had been week the last time she saw the demon standing at her door. Her power had only been fueled by strong emotions and a desire to protect herself. Now she was strong. She could truly fight him now, not merely defend against his attacks and get a few lucky shots in. She was proud now. As proud as any Lady or head of a line. When she spoke she did so in a cool voice that matched her distaste for the demon. "What do you want?"

"I thought I smelled your faint scent, young one." He said in a smooth voice and inhaled deeply through his nose. "Fresh rain and a new day."

"Not so young anymore, Adamar." She replied sharply.

"Perhaps not," Adamar smirked. "But just as beautiful as you were the day I met you."

"I would hope my beauty has matured. It has been two hundred years and when you first met me I was an underfed, servant whelp. If you thought I was beautiful then I'd like to hear the true words you use to describe me now."

Adamar took a few steps forward into the room. "Ravishing, perhaps." He whispered. "But even that doesn't truly scratch the surface." He kept moving forward until he was standing right in front of her. Though he was still shorter than Sesshoumaru, Ember had forgotten how tall he was. He reached out to brush some fire red hair from her eyes. She did not flinch nor did she slap his hand away. His hand continued down her cheek, to her neck, avoiding the mating mark, and down to her arm where the scars of her servant days were still very visible. "Your scars still shine brightly, my angel."

She grabbed his fingers and pushed them so far back she felt them break. He withdrew, snarling, to straighten the temporarily broken bones. "Too familiar, my lord," She snarled. "I am not your angel, nor anyone else's. My scars are a part of me. They remind me of my past. They remind me of where I came from."

"You came from a royal bloodline of angels." He whispered.

"That were thought to be humans for thousands of years." she snapped back. "No matter how you look at it I come from a human line. And I am as proud now as I was the day we met because of that line. My family has survived thousands of years of war. What's not to be proud of?"

"Angels are strange creatures," Adamar said softly. "You would have done better at my side, than Sesshoumaru's."

"No," Ember smirked sadly. "If I were at your side you would have killed me when I lost my son." Adamar began to growl but she ignored it. "I am tired." She said and looked away. "I wish to be left alone." Adamar stood up stiffly and walked back to the door when Ember called out once more. "But if you see your brother, tell him I would like his company."

She smiled as Adamar growled before leaving the room. He could no longer ignore a direct order from Ember. He wasn't the heir to the northern lands anymore and held no claim to disobey her and thus, twenty minutes later, Adamar's little brother Yuki, was standing at her door. The brothers looked much alike. They shared the black hair and eyes and the northern crest on their foreheads, but Yuki was smaller. Shorter and less muscled. His eyes were softer and his hair was shorter. He bore the signs of a good man. Or in this case, demon. Ember always knew he would turn out better than his siblings. He was definitely sheltered from them. He smiled softly at Ember. "Hello, old friend." he said in his soft, melodic voice.


	11. Chapter 11

Sesshoumaru stopped and looked towards the sky. It didn't take as long to find her as he thought. It was rare that she came this far north. Inu Kimi, his mother, always preferred the clear skies and warm weather of the south. And of course she always avoided the west when she could. As proud as she was, Inu Kimi would never forget that she was replaced by a human. In one swift movement Sesshoumaru had turned into the giant dog and was running through the skies towards his mother. He was as big as she now that two hundred years have passed since their last meeting. She still had her grace which was more than he could say with his missing limb.

He snarled and darted over her. She roared back and they circled each other until they crashed to earth. When the dust cleared they were facing each other in their human forms. She was as tall as she was before. Her hair as white as snow. Her eyes like polished ovals of cold gold. The years haven't aged her a day. The familiar, mysterious smirk danced across her lips as she addressed her son. "Sesshoumaru. I thought that might be you."

"Who do you think you are?" Jaken shouted some distance away. "Show a little respect. That's Lord Sesshoumaru to you."

The two Inu Youkais ignored the imp. "I can only assume you have questions about the Tenseiga your father left you. I can think of no other reason you've come to visit your mother."

Rin and Kohaku, who had joined them not too long ago, gasped and Jaken began to stammer. "M-m-mo... you're his m-mother?"

Neither of them answered. In one swift motion Inu Kimi was in the air again and Sesshoumaru was following. Behind him was Ah-Un carrying the two humans and the imp. They flew higher and higher until they they reached the palace in the sky. Inu Kimi's palace. The Palace of the dead. Sesshoumaru remembered only coming here once and it still looked the same. Lesser dog demons stood guard on each of the floors, prepared for intruders that would never come. At the top of the hundreds of stairs was Inu Kimi's throne. A large, comfortable, plush couch where if she so chose could stretch out. But for now she sat like a queen, looking upon her son and his companions. She put on a look that to some would mean true concern. But Sesshoumaru recognised it as mockery. "I am so sorry to hear about your child, my son. I wish I could have been there."

"Don't patronize me." he snarled.

"I am not patronizing you." She smiled. "But I did warn you against taking that girl for a mate."

"I did not come here to speak to you about her."

Her smile broadened. "Very well. Sesshoumaru, as I recall, except for _her_ you used to despise humans. As much as I do. And yet here you are with two human children. Perhaps you intend to eat them?"

"Tenseiga can be used to open a path to the underworld." Sesshoumaru said, ignoring her comment on Rin and Kohaku. "Father must have told you about it at some point."

Her smile faded to a thin crease. "Oh your father never spoke of it. He simply gave me this meido stone."

She held up an amulet made of gold. Imbedded in the gold was a deep purple stone. "A Meido stone?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"He told me to use it if you ever came to me for advice. Oh and he mentioned something else as well." She looked up at him slyly. "As I remember he said that using the meido stone would place you in great danger. But he told me not to be worried or sad about that." Sesshoumaru knew that no such action would make her feel any such emotion. She may be a mother but a demon first. And demons thrived on seeing the fear in other's eyes. Her smile was slowly returning as she weighed the amulet in her hands. "Whatever shall I do? Your mother is terribly distressed."

"Your words are hollow as always. " Sesshoumaru scoffed.

Inu Kimi smirked. "Very well then I shall have you entertain me."

She held up the meido stone and they were suddenly engulfed in a bright, yellow light. From the light a giant black wolf launched at Sesshoumaru. Without missing a beat he slashed at the beast with the Tenseiga and shouted, "Meido Zangetsuha!"

Disappointed, Inu Kimi rested her head in her hand and looked at the crescent shaped hole into the underworld. "So this is Sesshoumaru's Meido? It's nowhere near a full circle."

"W-what!" Jaken stammered. "You mean Lord Sesshoumaru's sword can cut through it?!"

"It's a hound from the underworld." She explained in a bored tone. "At present, Sesshoumaru, it seems that your sword can do neither real harm nor any good."

And with that the wolf dashed passed Sesshoumaru, Trapped Rin and Kohaku between its jaws and leapt back to the underworld through Sesshoumaru's own meido. Without any thought Sesshoumaru flew towards the meido after the hound. "Sesshoumaru, wait!" Called his mother and he stopped. "You intend to take the path to the underworld, for what, to save two human children? You have never been prone to such foolishness."

"Nor am I prone to it now, mother." he replied coldly before continuing through the meido, ignoring Jakens cries for him to come back.

Inu Kimi sat back down again. "The tragedy here is that none can return alive after the path has closed." She leaned against the armrest of her throne in apparent grief and cried out with the only bit of emotion Jaken had seen yet far. Oh I tried to warm him but he just would not listen!"

Beyond the meido Sesshoumaru chased after the hound. A long, winding path lay before him. It was the path that led straight to the underworld. He chased after the hound just ahead. He attacked and missed just barely. As the hound faced him he could see the two children in its belly. He could see Rin's life force leaving her and the regents of the netherworld absorbing it. He attacked, using the healing powers of the Tenseiga. It cut through the hound like it was made of paper and Sesshoumaru jumed forward to catch the falling children. Gently he touched Rin's cheek. She was cold as ice, but breathing.

Kohaku, however began to twitch and sat up slowly. It appeared that whatever had stunned Rin had no effect on him. "Lord Sesshoumaru?" he said groggily.

"I see you can move." Sesshoumaru mused. "I suppose that is the power of the Shikoun Jewel."

He glanced around as the path behind them crumbled to the dark waters below. He heard the shrieks of the undead birds he'd seen at his father's resting site and tentacles coming up from the water. Sesshoumaru growled in fury. "Take Rin and run!" he shouted.

Kohaku pulled Rin onto his back and began to run the other way. Sesshoumaru cut away the birds and serpents and once again had to catch the children. With the bones of the demons behind, sinking further into the black and watery abyss Sesshoumaru began forward Kohaku following close with Rin on his back. A few minutes later Kohaku stopped. "Hey, Lord Sesshoumaru." He called out. "It's Rin. I think she's stopped breathing."

Sesshoumaru stopped too. "You're sure Rin is dead?" he asked.

"She's not breathing and I can feel her getting even colder."

"Very well, set her down."

Kohaku put her down and once again pulled the Tenseiga from its sheath.

Back in the Palace Inu Kimi watched her son through the meido stone, keeping a constant commentary for Jaken's sake. He was sweating and was looking very worried. Inu Kimi had just said that the girl, Rin, would have to die in order for Sesshoumaru to truly master his sword. "Hmm," she said as an afterthought. "Though in theory she could be revived is Tenseiga was used to cut down the true guardian of the underworld."

"So there is hope for her yet?"

Inu Kimi ignored him and continued her musings. "However in actual fact that would never happen. The guardian exists beyond the darkness of the underworld and no one has ever returned from the darkness. The girl's time has come, she cannot be saved."

Sesshoumaru clutched the Tenseiga tighter in his grip. _Why Tenseiga?_ he thought furiously. _Answer me! _The minions of the underworld had not come to claim Rin's soul. He could not cut them down to save the girl. He began to feel a cold dread seep into his heart. _I never should have brought her with me_. He thought back to the day he saved her life from the wolves. He should have just left her in the closest human village. Just like he should have sent away Ember sooner while Adamar had taken residence in the castle and when he had decided that she was his next target. She was never in so much danger than while she was with him. Why couldn't he protect the ones he loved?

Slowly he sheathed the Tenseiga. This journey was causing him more pain that he would have imagined. All he had wanted was answers. Now he was beginning to regret. He was a demon Lord of Japan. He did not regret things. And he did not love. But here he stood regretting having feelings for those he had loved. Kagura. Rin. Ember. He always came back to Ember.

He turned to face the pathway again and he and Kohaku were suddenly engulfed in darkness. When it dissipated Rin's body was gone. He and the human child ran towards the darkness, after Rin's body. After a few minutes they were blinded by a circle of white light. When their eyes adjusted they saw Inu Kimi's palace before them and head her voice. "Please come out, Sesshoumaru." She called. "If you continue towards me you will be able to exit the underworld. However this path I've opened will soon close and once it does you will never be able to return to this world."

"Kohaku," Sesshoumaru said. "Take this path while it is open."

"What?" Kohaku gasped.

Sesshoumaru turned away from the light and continued on a new path towards the darkness. He was determined to save this child. He could not explain the affection he had for Rin, but maybe, just maybe, saving her will absolve him of not being able to save his son. Even if it does not absolve him of abandoning his mate. Kohaku, however ignored Sesshoumaru's order and chased after him. A strong wind was beginning to pick up behind him and he narrowed his eyes. He could smell death ahead. A huge monster, shadowed by the dim light of the underworld, rose before them, clutching Rin's lifeless body. It was the guardian of the underworld. The true one. Not like his mother. His mother merely guarder the gate of the underworld so none would foolishly wander through it. Like he had.

He walked towards the monster. As he did the guardian turned and attacked. Sesshoumaru dodged and ran the Tenseiga through the giant. Before she fell he caught Rin's body. He landed and looked down at her tiny body. "Please, Rin," he said softly. "You're safe now. Wake up."

Inu Kimi frowned down at the amulet. "That's odd." She muttered. "The guardian of the underworld has been cut down and yet she remains lifeless. Little demon,"

"It's Jaken, my lady, as I've told you. But you have no intention of remembering my name."

"Tell me, has the human girl been revived by Tenseiga before?"

"She has. Why do you ask, my lady?"

"Then she cannot be brought back to life."

_She cannot be saved?_ Sesshoumaru thought. The Tenseiga fell from his hand as he stared at the girl's continued lifeless body. _Tenseiga,_ he thought, bordering on desperately. _I let her die! For something like this. Nothing I could have gained was worth losing her. Nothing at all._

And for the first time in two hundred years, fear, anger and sadness took over Sesshoumaru's whole self. He couldn't save her. He couldn't save Kagura. He couldn't save his child. And all he needed to do was stop his quest for power to save them. Slowly the Tenseiga began to glow. The bodies of the dead began to merge towards it. They seemed to be pleading to the power of Tenseiga. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. "You all wish to be saved?" He knelt down and took the blade in his hands and a pale blue light surrounded him and the entire underworld, purifying everything it touched. Sesshoumaru raised his inheritance high and shouted once again, "Meido Zangetsuha!"

This time, an almost complete meido formed before him and Kohaku. They walked through it and they found themselves once again before Inu Kimi. "So you've returned." Inu Kimi stated plainly. Sesshoumaru passed her and set Rin down on the throne. "What's wrong, Sesshoumaru?" his mother asked as he stared down at her. He seemed unable to take his eyes off her. "You look so sad. Tenseiga has matured considerably and your meido has expanded, just as you hoped. Isn't that cause for celebration?"

The smirk on her face and condensation in her voice made Sesshoumaru want to cut her down. But he held his temper. As always she was taunting him. "Did you know this would happen to Rin?" He asked anyway. "Did you, mother?"

"If I'm not mistaken you have already used Tenseiga to revive her once, have you not? Son, Tenseiga can only call someone back from the dead once."

The dread sank a little deeper into his heart as the cold hard truth hit him. How much had he tested the abilities of this sword and never once did he try to save something twice. He only assumed that he could. How could he be so foolish?

"It makes sense after all," Inu Kimi continued. "Life is not supposed to be limitless after all. It's not something that can be renewed over and over again to your own convenience. Sesshoumaru, have you come to believe you were a god, perhaps? That you don't need to fear death as long as Tenseiga was in your hands? You needed to learn two things. The desire to save a loved one taken by death, and the sorrow and fear that accompanies that loss. You father wanted me to tell you this: Tenseiga is a sword for healing. Only a person who values life and possesses a compassionate heart may wield such a weapon and use its power to bury their enemies. That is the requirement of anyone who wish to be worthy of Tenseiga, a sword that can save lives and condemn others." That moment Jaken began to sob. And Inu Kimi looked down at him. "Little demon. Why are you crying?"

"It's Jaken, my Lady. It's just that Lord Sesshoumaru's very nature so he will never shed a tear so I must cry in his stead."

"Is that how you feel, Sesshoumaru?" Sesshoumaru did not respond and she removed the amulet from around her neck. "This is her last chance. You understand."

She placed the amulet on Rins chest and it began to glow. A second later she began to stir. She coughed, breathing air into her lungs once again. Sesshoumaru knelt down and placed a hand on her small face. She touched his hand with her small one and smiled. "Lord Sesshoumaru, you're here."

"You're ok now, Rin." Sesshoumaru said.

It would never show in his voice voice but happiness was beginning to swell inside of him again. He was beginning to truly understand the lesson his father left him. And as much as he despised her even now after saving Rin, he could not think of a better teacher than his own, heartless mother. "Boy," Inu Kimi turned to Kohaku now. "I have a question for you. How was it that you were able to survive the underworld? As far as I knew that was only possible for demons, never humans."

"It's because my life is sustained by a Shikoun Jewel shard." He replied calmly.

"I see. Then you'd best remember this. Your life cannot be saved by Tenseiga. Just as the girl was beyond its reach so too are you."

"Thank you, I will remember that."

Sesshoumaru stood and approached his mother. For the first time since he arrived in his mother's abode he noticed the faintest scent. A scent that seemed simply impossible. How could something smell like a new day? He remembered then... nothing could. Nothing but an angel. And he knew only one angel that smelled of a new day. And that was Ember. "Ember was here." He said quietly. "Why was she here?"

"Asking about her mark." Inu Kimi said in an amused tone. "Wondering how to be rid of it. I suppose she did not enjoy that last night you two spent together."

Sesshoumaru growled. "This is not a laughing matter."

"I am aware of that." She collapsed on the throne with a distressed look on her face. "To think there is a woman out there without a man to help her raise her unborn child."

She glanced up at Sesshoumaru to see his reaction. He snarled. "You lie." He snapped.

"Do I?" she smirked. "Perhaps you should find her and find out for yourself whether you have a second chance of having a family with the woman you claimed to love so dearly." Sesshoumaru could feel his anger rising again but Inu Kimi continued. "You know, I expected many things when you took that girl for your mate. But I did not expect you to turn into someone you're not, my son."

"What are you talking about?" Sesshoumaru growled.

"Don't you recall?" Inu Kimi glowered at him. "There was another youkai who tried to claim Embers affections. One who you claimed to protect her from."

"I am nothing like Adamar!" Sesshoumaru roared.

"And yet you abandoned her the second she failed to bear your child." Inu Kimi snapped back. "Does that not remind you of our dear friend?"

Sesshoumaru turned on his heel and walked away. Jaken, Rin and Kohaku chased after him and Ah-Un followed behind. Sesshoumaru could almost feel his mothers smirk behind him. He hated her now more than ever. How dare she? How dare she compare him to that rat who called himself a demon?


	12. Chapter 12

Ember sat on a bed next to Yuki who was very soon to be named Lord Yuki of the North. He had an arm wrapped around her shoulders and she had her head rested on his. She was holding her stomach. Now that she'd accepted that she was in fact pregnant she was beginning to feel a bit better about it. She'd been in the north for over two weeks now, spending most of that time with Yuki. Usually they just insulted Adamar or May. But today Yuki was approached the subject that Ember had been avoiding for two weeks. "Boy or girl?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Ember looked up at him.

"If you got to chose would you like a boy or girl?"

"I don't know... I didn't really think of it."

"Now you are thinking of it. So, boy or girl?"

"Well," Ember shrugged. "Last time I had a girl..."

"She was a child of the line."

"The time before that I... well... almost had a boy."

"And he didn't survive." Ember stood up from the bed and walked to the window. "You can't keep avoiding this, Ember." Yuki said sternly. "You lost your child. That is a fact. But here's another fact. It's been two hundred years. You are long overdue for a wakeup call."

"It's not just Keru," Ember said. "I lost the chance to have a family that day. And now I'm going to have another child but this time I don't have someone to love him or her with me. I'm alone."

"Not true." Yuki said. "You have me. And you have my mother and my father. You have that half demon you used to take care of, what was his name... Inu Yasha, Inu Taisho's second son. You have family all around you. Just maybe not a father for your child."

"Maybe?" Ember laughed. "The last time I saw Sesshoumaru I told him I didn't ever care if was upset about losing our son. I lost any chance of regaining his love that morning."

"So be it." Yuki shrugged. "This baby is happening with or without Sesshoumaru. You can't put your life on hold for something that happened in the past. Which is exactly what you've been doing for the last two hundred years. So please, look ahead for the future. Concentrate on the now and soon to be beheld. So think of your child. Now which would you rather have? A boy or a girl?"

Ember shrugged and finally smiled. "I suppose either would be fine with me. To tell you the truth I'm more curious on the division between demon and angel blood."

"You'd think it would be half and half, right?" Yuki sat up.

"I don't know." Ember leaned against the window. "Angels are different humans and every demon I can think of. I wasn't allowed to see Keru after the birth, but they told me he had white hair and red eyes. That indicates that he was half and half, but I guess we won't really know until the child is born and has time to grow up a little."

"Well the child will have a great mother regardless."

"Thanks, Yuki."

"Yes, thank you, Yuki for that sentimental bullshit."

They looked around to see Adamar at the door. "What do you want, brother?" Yuki stood.

"Father wants to see you. He's waiting in his office."

"You will come with me, brother. As I recall, you an Ember do not have a good history together."

"I don't need to be babysat like and infant pup," he snapped. "Especially by another pup."

"A pup who has taken your place as heir to the north." Yuki snapped. "Do not forget your place, brother."

Adamar growled. Ember rolled her eyes. "Boys." She snapped. "Yuki, I can take care of myself. Adamar, your brother is lord, you lost your chance. Get over it. Can we all shut up and face the facts now?"

"I'll be back soon." Yuki growled and pushed passed his brother.

Adamar shut the door behind Yuki with a snap. He faced Ember. "I see your negotiation skills have improved since we last met."

"No," Ember turned away. "I've just gotten used to being listened to."

"Well enjoy it while you can." Adamar hissed. "Because once you have a whelp hiding behind your skirts no one will take you seriously."

"Does it make you happy to know you cause me nothing but pain Adamar?" Ember asked. "Because ever since we've met it has seemed to be your mission to cause me as much pain as you can."

"That was not my original plan. But life does have its funny little perks."

"You have a sick sense of humour."

"So does life." Adamar grabbed her by the shoulder and forcing her to face him. "What are you going to do when that child is born, Ember? You're going to have no one to help you raise it."

"I don't want nor need you anywhere near my child." she shouted and took a step back. She clutched her stomach protectively.

"That's your choice," Adamar shrugged. "But you'll change your mind when you realise you need a real man in your life." Ember brushed passed him, taking a traveling cloak from the wall. "Running away again?" he laughed.

Ember stopped but didn't turn around. "My child will survive, Adamar. I will ensure that. In nine months you'll see that. And when you do I promise you that if you go anywhere near my child hell's fire will rain down on you from everywhere."

With that she turned around, wrapped the cloak around her shoulders and headed down to the second floor. The northern castle wasn`t as big as the western one was, there were only five floors, so it wasn`t long before she found Yuki again. He took one look at her and he knew she was leaving. It didn`t take a genius to figure her out. He didn`t try to stop her. Instead he took her in his arms and hugged her. "Will I see you again, old friend?"

"Yes," she hugged him back. "In nine moons when I'm ready to deliver." She handed him one of four scrolls she prepared the previous night. "Wait five moons and then read this. It will explain everything."

"Very well," Yuki released her. "My mother is in the garden. You should see her before you go."

"I will. Until then, my friend."

She swept passed him and continued down the stairs. Karu's garden was on the east side of garden. It was her sanctuary. Ember wouldn't have been surprised it she put spells around it so Adamar or May couldn't get in. But as Ember stepped carefully through the flowers and plants Karu looked around. "Adamar again?" she asked.

Ember shrugged. "It was only a matter of time. We both knew he wouldn't be able to resist."

"I know." Karu sighed. "He truly is a disappointment."

"You're taking it better than you did many years ago."

"Yes. Well Yuki has been a blessing. Third time's the charm, right?"

"I suppose."

"Will you return when you are ready to deliver?"

"Yes."

"Very well. I will see you in a few moons then."

Ember bowed and stepped out of the garden before spreading her wings and taking off. She headed back south. There were some things she needed to prepare. She needed to speak to Shadow, but she could not return to the city. She did think she could face Arailia's scolding. Shadow at least would listen to what she had to say. He never treated her like a child. There was only one place where Ember could safely summon Shadow without drawing attention to the entire city. That place was the ancient dwelling of the second line. It was once an entire palace built into a mountain, but after centuries with no one living there it had turned simply into a confusing system of caves. At the center, where the Dark Throne once stood, was where the head of the second line could be summoned by those who knew the ancient texts. Which Ember did.

After a week of travelling she made it to the mountain and a few hours later she was standing in the old throne room. It was at the center of the mountain in a huge room. She cast a ceremonial blue flame around the room and sat cross-legged in the center. She put her fingers together and began muttering under her breath. At the end of the passage she opened her eyes and Shadow stood before her. He did not look impressed. "You caused quite an uproar during your last appearance in the city. It has caused me plenty of trouble. It would have been easy to ignore your summons."

"So why didn't you."

"I am a king. My responsibilities are to my people. All of my people. Not just those of my line."

"You never cared about me."

"Enough to know that you would serve better outside the city than in it."

"That's caring about the rest of them."

Shadow sighed in an exasperated way. "Very well... what is that you want?"

"How is Karu doing?"

"The boy? He is hanging in there. But barely. Nikko is at his side night and day but he isn't sure how much longer he can keep the boy alive."

"Has he asked for me?"

"He hasn't woken up yet."

"I see."

"Ash has been reading the old histories since you banished her to the city. It seems that if she cannot the head of the line she will be the line's historian."

"I don't care what she is doing. She is nothing to me."

"Did you call me here just ask about the boy?"

Ember touched her belly. "I'm carrying Sesshoumaru's child." she said softly.

Shadow blinked. He didn't seem surprised by it at all. "What would you like me to do?"

"The same thing you've always done. Keep the angels in the city. Don't let them into the real world."

"That is becoming harder and harder, Ember. The army is getting impatient and so is the queen."

Ember pulled out a second scroll from her cloak. "Tell Arailia I have a plan. But she cannot be a part of it for another five moons. On the fifth full moon tell her she can open the scroll. Until then tell her to be a part of the army. Tell her to learn to fight. Tell her... tell her to be patient."

Shadow stepped forward and took the scroll from her. "Am I to know this secret plan of yours?"

"You may. On the fifth full moon."

"Very well." He said darkly. "If you cannot confide in me then I see no reason why I should deliver your message."

"Just take my word for it, Shadow," Ember finally lost her patience and started sounding like her usual self. "Deliver my message and the scroll to Arailia and she will no longer fight you to leave the city. She will accept that her place and the place of the angels is in the city and nowhere else. Understand."

Shadow shook his head. "How you have managed to speak to us this way for so long is a mystery to me. But I will do as you ask. If you promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Don't get killed."

Ember looked deep into his eyes for a moment. "I won't." She finally said.

For the first time Ember saw a flicker of concern dart across Shadow's eyes. He didn't see anything, however. He simply spread his wings, turned, and disappeared. Ember only hoped that he would not break his promise and open the scroll before the fifth moon. She didn't even need that long. She needed two months that was all. She hoped he would give her that at least. Or all would be ruined. Her next stop would be her old home once again. She didn't hesitate this time. She went straight to their old rooms. What used to cause a great, unbearable pain now simply caused a dull throb that she could easily ignore. She took out another scroll exactly the same as the one she gave to Shadow. This time she stared at the scroll and the bed she used to share with Sesshoumaru. When this was over she knew he would finally return and he would read it. It took a lot of effort for her to lay the scroll down. Again, everything was left up to timing. If he read this too soon it would all be ruined.

Two more stops. First to Karu's village. She had to visit his father and explain that his son may never return. She didn't cry while she spoke. Over the last four weeks she felt like she'd shed her weight in tears. And while she was still upset about Karu, she just couldn't bring herself to cry anymore. Kenji didn't shed a tear either. But he was shaking so much by the time she finished talking that he didn't look like he could do anything else. A hundred times she apologized until she heard her voice go hoarse when she stood up and left him to grieve. She walked back out to the town center and looked up at the new statue of Spark, her ancestor. She put a hand over the inscription. It said _Family, Power, Sacrifice_. It was the family words. They must have been passed down from generation to generation in this village. Ember only knew them because they were carved on the council chair reserved for the head of the first line just like the words of all the other lines were carved on their chairs.

Sacrifice. Well... Spark had certainly done that. She gave her life to convince the entire country that all the angels were dead. More importantly she'd given her life to save the life of her daughter, Coal. In the slave records of the castle she was recorded as Nicole, probably to keep any suspicion that she was of the first line secret, even though she carried on the tradition with her own daughter, Magma, often referred to as Maggie. Ember looked up into the stone face of the warrior angel. "If only you could see your line now, Spark." She whispered. "If only you could see how far we've fallen."

She left the village and headed even east. The last stop. It was the home of her oldest friend that she shared with her mate and four children. Suki. They were slaves together and the only other demon she knew who had a true mate. Andronin was one of the soldiers. He was the father of her children and used to tease Ember relentlessly for being Sesshoumaru's mate. She hadn't seen either of them in over a hundred years. The last time she was their Suki had told her to leave and never return. But there was something Suki had that she needed. It was the key to her entire plan. Without it everything she had just done was to waste. Today she would have to be a lady of the western lands. Not a friend.

Even so she didn't enter Andronin's lands without struggle. She was faced with all four sons at once all of them declaring that she was not welcome on these lands. They had all been there when Suki had demanded her to leave. They had no love for her. They would not even let her pass for the friendship she still carried with their father. They all had the looks of their father in their physical appearance but all had their mother's eyes. As they faced her in a line she flared her wings and sent blast of heat so intense it sent them all flying backwards. "I do not have the time for your mother's damnable ideas of honour!" she shouted as she swept past them.

Every footstep she took flames were left in her path until she reached the house. Age had finally taken its effect on Suki like it had on Karu and Miraz. But she still stood strong, as strong as the day they were slaves together. Andronin saw her first. He instantly looked concerned. But when Suki saw her her face filled with anger. "What are..."

Ember cut off her words by grabbing her throat, lifting her up and pushing her up against a tree. "I am not here because I want to be, I promise you." She snapped. "I am here for one thing only and those are the scrolls that you protect."

"I told you long ago that you were not welcome here!"Suki snapped back. Ember was not choking her, just holding her against the tree so that her sons would not attack. "What makes you think I'm just going to just hand the scrolls over?"

"Who says I'm asking?" Ember hissed and released her. She took a step back and looked between Andronin and Suki. "You two are my oldest friends. You were always there for me from when I was a child and my mother was alive. You helped support me when she died and when Adamar hunted me. And most importantly you were there for me when I lost Keru. And out of respect for that past friendship I do not want to be forced to use my rank as an angel and Lady of the Western lands to take them from you. So now I am giving you the simple chance to hand them over and I will leave this place."

"Piss off," Suki hissed.

Andronin looked between his mate, his four sons, and Ember before walking into the house. "Father!" Shouted their eldest son. "What are you doing?"

"Out of respect for my continued friendship with Ember," he called back and appeared at the door again. "I am giving her the knowledge she has a right to bear." He handed her three scrolls. They were old, yellowed and ripped in some places. They had lasted through countless years of war and had been handed down from hundreds of demons. "This is the last favour I can spare you, Ember." He said softly. "After this you can consider our debt repaid."

Ember touched his arm gently. "Andronin," she smiled. "There was never any debt between us. Only friendship." She pulled the final scroll from her cloak and handed it to him. "This will explain everything." She said. "Read it on the fifth full moon. Not a day sooner."

"Everything?" Andronin asked. "Including why you need the forbidden scrolls?"

"Especially why I need the forbidden scrolls."

Andronin looked down at the scroll before nodding slowly. Ember looked around at Suki who was flanked by her sons. "I never wanted any of this to happen, old friend." She said softly.

Her sons all growled and closed in around her but Suki didn't look angry this time. She looked more confused. And then worried. As Ember took off once again Suki called out but she was already gone. _All will be explained soon._ She thought as a single tear fell from her eye.


End file.
